


Unforeseen Wishes

by dbzkink



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Sex, Aliens, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Gay, Gay Sex, Lemon, M/M, Romance, Shameless Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:00:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 45,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26177623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dbzkink/pseuds/dbzkink
Summary: Nail subdues Piccolo's consciousness to gather the dragon balls and Piccolo struggles with the repercussions of Nail's wish.
Relationships: Piccolo/Nail
Comments: 63
Kudos: 41





	1. The Back Seat

**Author's Note:**

> So much graphic, explicit gay/alien sex ahead! There will be butt sex! There will be my Namekian headcanon alien genitalia sex! Just a lot of sex in all its wonderful configurations! So if you aren't up for that, move right along!
> 
> Here's my Namek headcanon, which if you've read my other stuff, you know. Piccolo and Nail are both true biological hermaphrodites, meaning they can reproduce sexually both as female and male. I do not mean the pejorative long applied to intersex humans by a-hole doctors and parents. They each have a dick and testicles, but they also have a tightly closed, scar-like slit right behind their balls called a theadur. It is a sheath lined with a velvety material so it doesn't make or require lubrication, just all that fuzzy-uzzy goodness lets the cock enjoy its time in the theadur. If Nameks get knocked up, they lay an egg (sometimes multiples, but it's rare) after a very short pregnancy. The eggs then incubate. If any of these things distress you, again, you should move on, because this is as tame as it's gonna get.
> 
> If you're unsquicked and reading on (and I hope you are so you can enjoy some alien banging!) I hope you have fun! I love getting comments and kudos if you enjoy what you read (or don't, those comments are fine too, lol)! Thank you!

Piccolo fought and fought, but he couldn’t regain control of his body. He couldn’t even access the motivation behind what his irritable tenant was doing. They wound up on Bulma’s doorstep, asking politely for the dragon ball radar. Bulma, being the generous creature she was, didn’t even question Piccolo’s motives, didn’t even realize that Piccolo wasn’t at the helm. It wasn’t Piccolo asking at all.

It exhausted him to fight after the first day, so Piccolo did something he’d never really done in his life: he relaxed. He rode around in his own body like it was a litter, watching but not reacting, feeling but not caring, and waited to see what the rebellious motherfucker was up to with the dragon balls.

Nail had never rested easy as a part of Piccolo, unlike Kami who had been completely subsumed, no longer a separate entity in any way. Nail and Piccolo were always spatting and bickering, though lately the tone of their arguments had changed. Nail was powerful too, and despite not having a body to train, he had only become more powerful since merging with Piccolo.

There was always a current of bitterness in Nail’s consciousness: he didn’t even know about the Earth dragon balls when he chose to merge with Piccolo, so it never occurred to him that he might be resurrected, whole and healthy…if he hadn’t merged with Piccolo. Instead, he took up residence like a grumpy boarder, picking at Piccolo constantly, criticizing his choices, and while Nail had taken the wheel a few times since their joining, never like this. In the past, Piccolo had at least been navigating while Nail steered, but now Piccolo was tied up in the brig, brought down by internal mutiny.

Piccolo and Nail occasionally got drunk together, sometimes with Piccolo’s friends, sometimes just the two of them (or the one matryoshka doll Namek), so Piccolo thought nothing of it when Nail incessantly nagged for them to find a good camping spot, get a good bottle of vodka, and tie one on. They had such interesting conversations when they were stupidly drunk, just the two of them. Piccolo enjoyed it more than he liked Nail to know. He tried to hide that pleasure away, but he suspected Nail knew and was merciful enough not to mock Piccolo for the fact that the friend he enjoyed most was essentially himself, since Nail was now technically part of himself.

But when he awoke hungover, Nail controlled everything. It wasn’t like other times. Piccolo was mentally paralyzed as his body got up to whatever Nail made it do. The first few hours were the worst. Stupid Nail wouldn’t even talk to Piccolo. Piccolo tried to remember how their drunken night had gone, what Piccolo had said or done, but he came up empty. Had he pissed Nail off so thoroughly that he was just going to shove Piccolo into the back of his own mind forever?

By the fifth dragon ball, Piccolo wished he had popcorn. He didn’t mind not being in charge for a while. Mainly he didn’t mind not having to constantly battle with Nail. Nail remained stubbornly silent. Piccolo meditated some, but he spent a surprising amount of time teasing Nail too, giving him shit for stealing Piccolo’s body, poking at him, and suggesting that he would do all the hard work of finding the dragon balls, but that Piccolo would take back the reins and make his own wish. Not that Piccolo had a wish. And still Nail remained silent.

It took him over a week to collect the dragon balls. Piccolo mocked him ruthlessly for this too. With Piccolo’s speed and endurance, it should have taken him two or three days, tops. He could feel it was the closest Nail had come to breaking his stubborn, enigmatic silence. Nail was a chatty fucking companion when he was riding shotgun, so it unnerved Piccolo, not having the constant banter.

The big day came and the sky grew dark. Piccolo wanted to hear the mysterious wish, but that motherfucker put Piccolo down, pushed him into the dark part of their mind reserved for the very deepest sleep. Piccolo didn’t know how or why, he’d never been subdued like this before. And he’d never done it to Nail either. Piccolo didn’t even know it was possible as he clawed and fought, but ultimately succumbed to the blackness.

* * *

Piccolo willed his fingers to move and they did. His arms, his legs, his head, stretching, and loosening up all the muscles and joints that had been hijacked from him for the last week. He felt around for Nail, to ask him why the sudden change of heart about who captained the ship, but to Piccolo’s horror, Nail was gone. Just gone. Not a trace. Not a recalcitrant, brooding, silent presence as he was sometimes. Just absent. Like he had never been a part of Piccolo at all.

Piccolo’s eyes burned. Which filled him with shame. He couldn’t possibly be mourning Nail’s removal. It was obvious now that the other Namek had wished to be freed from the purgatory of living in Piccolo, with Piccolo. The search for the dragon balls now made sense. Nail chose the release of oblivion over continued existence together with Piccolo in Piccolo’s body.

The hurt Piccolo felt surprised him. What had he thought? That he and Nail were friends? That they were close, just because Nail was a passenger in Piccolo’s mind and body? Piccolo _had_ thought that. Piccolo felt a connection with Nail that had nothing to do with merging. He thought about it for a moment and realized that they had been living in unity, if not quite harmony, for over a decade. Piccolo swallowed his tears. He thought of Nail as his closest friend.

A few days before Nail mutinied, they’d gone with Dende to New Namek for some silly Namek festival. Dende abandoned them immediately to go spend time with one of his former friends who was a young, fun-loving adult, like Dende, not a stodgy, grumpy warrior, like Piccolo. Piccolo couldn’t help if he’d rather fight than party. Couldn’t help if he found crowds awful and overwhelming. Piccolo was an extreme introvert, certainly, but he still enjoyed companionship. Piccolo just preferred things one on one.

At first, he and Nail had enjoyed a quiet internal dialogue about the festival. They bantered together until another loner warrior, Scythe, moseyed over to Piccolo and spent the remainder of the evening chatting with Piccolo until Dende returned (slightly disheveled, Piccolo thought) and Goku picked them up. Piccolo enjoyed Scythe’s company and Scythe suggested they spar on his next trip to New Namek.

Nail’s irritation after the festival had been dark and acidic. Like Piccolo had betrayed him somehow. In retrospect, Piccolo could see that it must have been painful for Nail, being amongst all those resurrected former friends and compatriots, but unable to interact. Heartbreaking for Nail to see the life he might’ve had if Piccolo hadn’t taken it from him.

Piccolo sat up, choking back his tears of understanding, and held his face in his hands. The festival must have broken Nail’s spirit. Piccolo refused to mourn Nail wishing for liberation from Piccolo. Of course Piccolo wanted Nail to be free. It wasn’t that. 

It was just that Piccolo felt _lonely_ without his longtime companion, even if their relationship was a bit strange. Piccolo liked to think of it as the way he would continue cherishing a physically incapacitated friend—of course he would carry them around and enjoy them as he had before their body became a burden. In truth, Piccolo also hadn’t known that it was possible to separate Nail from himself, as Porunga couldn’t do it. Dende’s new Earth dragon balls were obviously different.

Piccolo wished now that he’d told Nail how he valued their friendship, such as it was. Now Nail was gone and probably still thought Piccolo was a complete heartless dick. Piccolo sighed. He stood up. Maybe Gohan would train with him today so he could work through some of his…his what? His grief? His sorrow? His disappointment? Piccolo didn’t want to examine how he felt too closely. Piccolo hated feelings. They were weakness. Vulnerability.

Piccolo stripped off his cape and gi and dove into the river beside which Nail had camped with Piccolo’s body to make his getaway with the help of the dragon balls. Piccolo sank to the bottom, held his breath, and enjoyed the muted light, the silence, the weightlessness of his heavy body, that felt so suddenly empty. His vision began to black out before he rose to the surface, breathing, but not opening his eyes as he scrubbed his hands over his face. He waded back on shore, trying to regain his mental balance, find his center, and hoped he could make peace with this new hollowness inside himself.

“It’s weird seeing you from the outside again.”

Piccolo shrieked and his eyes flew open as he dropped back into the water, hiding his nudity. Piccolo froze. He couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even understand what he was seeing. There, reclining against a tree, casual as can be, was Nail. Bodily. In his own Nail body, with his own Nail smirk, and his own glittering Nail eyes. His Nail voice that sounded much the same as it had in Piccolo’s mind.

“Gods, Nail! You startled the fuck out of me,” Piccolo growled. He could sense Nail’s chi now. It had been there, all along, but Piccolo hadn’t noticed because it was such a part of him. “How the fuck is this even possible?”

“You’ve always had such a mouth on you, Piccolo,” Nail said and stood up. He tossed off his vest and neck ruff and dropped his pants. Piccolo averted his eyes too late and his cheeks caught fire at what he saw before Nail leapt into the water beside Piccolo. The splash hit Piccolo’s face, dripped off his antennae, which buzzed with Nail’s bodily proximity. Piccolo swallowed. Nail’s _naked_ bodily proximity.

By the time Nail broke the surface behind Piccolo, goosing his waist with both hands, Piccolo was in full-blown tachycardia. Piccolo rocketed up in the air, remembered he was naked, and shot back down, his whole face burning now. What was happening to him? Piccolo almost groaned with horror, because he knew exactly what was happening to him and now he’d be trapped in the water for a good long while. Fucking Nail.

Piccolo whirled around at the sound of Nail’s delighted guffaws. And immediately turned back around because Nail was back-floating, buck-ass naked, his arms stretched up cradling his head. Gods. Piccolo forgot what a body Nail had on him. And Piccolo hadn’t known about _all_ of it. Piccolo knew Nail’s mind intimately, but not his body. He’d spent about five minutes with Nail’s body, and it had been in pretty sorry shape. It wasn’t in sorry shape now. Not sorry at all.


	2. Wishes

Piccolo kept himself turned away and said, “How did you do this? I thought the dragon balls couldn’t separate us?”

“I thought so too, but I figured it was worth a try,” Nail said, “and it worked! Why are you being so shy? I’ve literally lived inside you for the past decade. I’ve jerked you off. We’ve had sex with people together. It’s not like I haven’t seen your dick a million times, Piccolo.”

“You haven’t jerked me off!” Piccolo cried, glancing over his shoulder surreptitiously.

“Oh? Are we going to get into technicalities of who was controlling the hand each time? You know you’ve done it the way _I_ like.”

“Damnit, Nail! Why are we discussing me jerking off? I just…why? How?”

“Shenron apparently has capabilities that Porunga does not,” Nail said. Then his voice was closer as he continued, “I just want to know why you’re being shy with me? I mean…”

Piccolo spun and Nail was so close Piccolo almost smacked Nail’s belly with his hard-on. Piccolo said, trying to keep his voice even, “I’m not being _shy,_ for fuck’s sake. I…it…Not flaunting my dick isn’t being shy.”

“It is worthy of flaunting, no doubt about that, Piccolo. Come on, come swim with me. Are you okay? After I shoved you down all week?”

Piccolo’s anger dissipated a little with Nail’s concern for his wellbeing. Piccolo’s stomach did a weird flip-flop—had Nail just complimented Piccolo’s prick? Piccolo said, “Yeah, I’m fine. You could have just told me you wanted to separate. Did you think I wouldn’t let you, or something?”

“Honestly? I didn’t think it would work, but I kind of wanted to surprise you. You looked all morose when you woke up, so I thought maybe you had some sort of ‘secondary consciousness’ hangover.”

“No…not that. I…I thought that you…you know…were gone, gone. Like, forever gone.” Piccolo glanced up at Nail’s face.

Nail’s eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. “You thought I’d leave you? Like _really_ leave you? Not just your body,” Nail said, a little smirk turning up one side of the frown.

“Yeah, I mean, after I was such an idiot, making you go to New Namek like that, rubbing the life you could have had in your face. I’m sorry. I didn’t…I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.” Piccolo dared another glance at Nail. Nail’s eyebrows came up in the center in a sad peak. Piccolo forged ahead, “Look, if I had known that you could be resurrected, I wouldn’t have merged and stolen your life from you. Goku can take you to New Na—“

“Wait, you think I was mad…about us merging…on New Namek?”

“You were furious afterwards. You wouldn’t even talk to me.”

“I’m not mad you merged with me, Piccolo. I asked you to do that. I wanted you to beat Frieza. I’ve never been bitter—“

“The hell you haven’t, you give me shit all the time—“

“I just like to rib you, Piccolo, it’s so fucking easy. I’ve never regretted that choice. Sure, I can be crabby about it sometimes, because especially after I got to know you better I wanted my own body—“

“Oh come on, I’m not that bad!” Piccolo protested.

Nail bumped his shoulder against Piccolo’s and Piccolo’s heart galloped out of his chest into his throat. He tried to keep his cool while he crossed his hands in front of his crotch to hide his stupid erection. Why couldn’t his cock behave for his first real in-person interaction with Nail?

Nail said, “ _That_ is not what I meant at all. I was not mad that you merged with me on New Namek. I don’t want to be on New Namek. I want to be here.”

Piccolo started to speak, realized that Nail hadn’t said what he’d expected, and shut his mouth. After a moment he said, looking into Nail’s eyes, “But…why? Your friends and family are all there. And everyone there reveres you. I also call bullshit on you not being mad at me. You were furious before we even got back to Earth!”

Nail’s eyes searched his. “You…you…you are. You are just so fucking oblivious…You think you know a man,” Nail said fondly, shaking his head.

Piccolo had forgotten how handsome Nail was: that sharp jawline, those high cheekbones. He had a cute smile too, which Piccolo hadn’t known before because of how beat up Nail had been when they merged. Piccolo floated back more, wary, as Nail floated in front of him.

Nail’s hands were on his forearms, sliding down, and then his fingers twined with Piccolo’s. Piccolo’s eyes widened and looked up into Nail’s. Nail’s face was soft, and there was something else…something…loving…in his expression. He started to stammer something, but Nail spoke first, “Piccolo, I was mad that you were flirting with Scythe. That you agreed to go back and hang out with him. You totally ditched me to try to get some.”

“I wasn’t trying to get some! It’s hard to say, ‘Sorry, I’m conversing with the guy who lives inside me, so I can’t talk right now,’ it makes people think I’m fucking crazy!”

“Yeah, but you were flirting. You weren’t just talking with him!”

“I was not!”

“You were too! It pissed me off! And I…I realized why.”

Piccolo turned his face away from Nail’s. “Why?”

“Because I was jealous—”

“I would have let you have control if _you_ wanted to flirt and get laid—I always let you do that when you want!” Piccolo couldn’t even look Nail in the eyes. Why did Piccolo find that thought so infuriating? Nail and Scythe. So that was why he had separated from Piccolo. Piccolo felt sick.

Nail took one of his hands out of Piccolo’s, touched Piccolo’s jaw, and turned him back to face Nail. Nail leaned in closer, but his eyes weren’t on Piccolo’s eyes, they were on his mouth. “You are ridiculous. I wasn’t jealous of you…I was jealous of him,” Nail murmured and kissed Piccolo. A soft kiss. Just a brush of lips.

The tiny contact sent lightning thrumming through Piccolo’s body. Did Nail mean what Piccolo thought he meant? Piccolo dropped his head, kissed Nail more deeply, letting his tongue dip inside Nail’s mouth. Nail’s hands slid over Piccolo’s shoulders, wending around his neck, and pulled their bodies together. Piccolo responded too late to keep his very hard cock from pressing against Nail’s excellent body.

Nail groaned in Piccolo’s mouth and Piccolo groaned in turn when he felt that Nail was hard too. Piccolo’s mind let loose all the affection he’d been hiding in the tiny part of his mind that was the very essence of Piccolo. He hadn’t wanted Nail to know that he was attracted to a disincorporated spirit and mind. It seemed…wrong…to love Nail. But that was when Nail couldn’t escape him.

Nail wrapped his legs around Piccolo’s waist in the water. Piccolo clung to Nail, kissed him desperately. How long had Piccolo wanted this, but not even dared to think it? How long had Nail wanted it?

Piccolo pulled back a little and smirked. He whispered, kissing along Nail’s jawline, “It’s weird to not have your commentary while I do this…”

“I hated it the last few times. I wanted to murder them.”

“I wondered why you were stonily silent. I thought you were just sick of not having your own dick.”

“I _was_ sick of not having my own dick, just for a different reason. It was only on New Namek when it occurred to me to try the Earth dragon balls. I had to think carefully about how I worded my wish. I didn’t want to end up floating in space where Namek used to be.”

Piccolo kissed Nail more, grinning. Nail gasped, “I want you. I’ve waited fucking years, Piccolo.”

Piccolo carried Nail up onto the shore, laid Nail on his cape. Piccolo moved above him, kissed him more, slid his hand down between their bodies and took Nail’s dick in his hand. “I see why you wanted it back, it’s a very nice cock,” Piccolo whispered and kissed his way down Nail’s torso.

He swallowed Nail whole and Nail groaned, “Lord of Lords, Piccolo!” Piccolo loved his name on Nail’s lips, loved his lips on Nail’s prick. He sucked his former tenant’s cock zealously, swirling his dextrous tongue around Nail’s head. Nail gasped and trailed his claws lightly over Piccolo’s skull. Nail's hips rose up to meet Piccolo’s mouth and he cried, “No, Piccolo, please, I want to come while you fuck me!”

“You will,” Piccolo purred, and went back to giving Nail head.

Nail moaned and pleaded and curled up as he screamed, his cum filling Piccolo’s mouth. It felt so right to finally be able to touch Nail, to love his body too. Piccolo’s relief that Nail was not gone-gone was overpowered by the much stronger, heart-swelling joy of having Nail want what Piccolo wanted.

Nail yanked at him, pulling him up, he kissed Piccolo furiously and said, “Holy shit, just, wow. I know I’ve been the one to do that, but it is way different to feel you doing it _to_ me than to ride along while you do it to someone else. Holy shit.”

Nail spit in his hand and started stroking Piccolo. Piccolo laughed and shoved Nail’s hand out of his way. He said, “Have you forgotten that I can do this since I don’t do it with the humans? Only with Vegeta?” Piccolo used magic to fill his hand with lube, coating his cock.

He dripped the rest onto Nail’s ass and trailed a finger over Nail’s pucker. “Piccolo, come on, please! You know I’m no virgin.”

“I do, but this body might be. Did you ask Shenron if he would restore your ass to its previously-fucked glory?”

Nail chortled. “Fine.”

“It won’t take long,” Piccolo purred, pushing a finger inside Nail, grateful for the millionth time in his life for how long his fingers were.

“Oh fuck!”

“Who’s got a mouth on him now, Nail?”

“Still you, Piccolo, fucking hell that was incredible. Gods, Piccolo, _this_ is incredible!” Nail’s head flew back as Piccolo worked a second finger inside him, stretched him a little, and tapped on his prostate until he was crying out with every touch.

Piccolo’s belly heated watching Nail writhe from his touch. They always had a good time fucking people when they did, having agreed that they both needed to find the person attractive, but the past few years Piccolo always felt dissatisfied with the sex. This was why. Deep down, even his body had known: Piccolo wanted Nail. No one else.

“You want me to make you come like this, baby, or you want me to fuck you?” Piccolo crooned as he kissed all over Nail’s perfect chest, sucked his perfect nipples.

“Fuck me, please, Piccolo. Gods, I’ve waited for-fucking-ever!”

“Really?” Piccolo said, but readjusted himself to plunge into Nail. He looked up into Nail’s eyes.

Nail smiled at him, his fangs showing more on one side. “Yeah, really, big guy,” Nail said.

Piccolo grinned and kissed Nail more as he thrust into his best friend, bursting with happiness and lust and love to get to have Nail bodily, to have him love Piccolo back. He whispered, against Nail’s lips, “Do you feel all tiny now?”

“I do feel petite, which is weird for a guy who’s over six feet tall and built like a tank,” Nail said, laughing and gasping as he took Piccolo deep inside himself, his powerful legs wrapping around Piccolo’s waist and holding Piccolo’s hips against his ass. “Gods, Piccolo…I wish I’d thought of trying Shenron years ago.”

Nail started to roll up against Piccolo. Piccolo cried out and bit down on Nail’s shoulder as he worked in tandem with Nail to get even deeper inside the man he’d hungered for for years. They said no more, and they didn’t need to—they had been in each other’s minds so long, they both knew what the other liked and it made for very good rhythm, the only question that remained was finding the exact places inside Nail’s foreign body. Piccolo loved finding the angle his lover needed, the pressure, the speed. 

As Piccolo hit Nail’s prostate again and again, he took Nail’s cock in his hand, startled again by the feel of it, because some part of his brain, the part that rode along when Nail jacked off using Piccolo’s body, expected Nail’s cock to feel like his own. Nail’s cock was thicker, a little shorter, but perfect and heavy. It felt fantastic in Piccolo’s hand as he twisted his hand up and down its length the way Nail liked.

Nail smirked and said, “It feels weird that I don’t feel your hand, but that’s what I remember. I think we’ll have to fuck a lot to reacclimatize me to having my very own body.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right. And I have to get used to not arguing over who’s gonna fucking drive. It’s nice how I just got to fuck you without have to vie with you to be in charge.”

“You’re still such a dick, Piccolo. And you’re not in charge,” Nail said with a huge smile and curled up to kiss Piccolo. “Shit, _uliaia,_ you’re going to make me come if you keep touching me like that…”

Piccolo realized, with some irritation, that he could no longer speak Namek without Nail as a part of him. But his irritation was quickly replaced by the rise of his climax. He growled, “Don’t you want to come for me, baby? Don’t you want your sweet ass to grip my cock?”

“ _Uliaia, soturna il ipa, ip uli kor!_ ” Nail wailed, and big jets of semen sprayed out of his slit as Piccolo fucked him harder, fucked him deeper.

Piccolo came, and unable to help himself, rasped, “I love you, Nail,” as he spent himself inside Nail’s new body. Piccolo liked that he was the first to have this body. That even though Nail had had other lovers, this new body would be only for Piccolo. He hoped. As the high of his orgasm subsided, the horrible possibility that Nail only wanted to fuck Piccolo and move on with his life floated up in his mind like a rotting corpse.

“Hey, why the long face? It’s even grumpier than your resting grump face. Hey, no good? Did you not get off, _uliaia_? You can keep fucking me,” Nail said, and caressed Piccolo’s cheek, searching his eyes.

Piccolo furrowed his brow, he felt stupid not knowing any Namek. “No, I definitely got off. Just…um…is…is this it?”

“What do you mean? Did it not feel that good?” Nail’s eyes glazed.

“What? No! It felt fucking amazing! No, I meant, um, did you just want a piece of ass before you go to New Namek?”

Nail gave Piccolo an almost pitying smile and said, “You big dope, no, of course not. I didn’t live inside you for over a decade and just think, ‘I’ll expend a lot of effort collecting dragon balls so I can get laid one time with this guy who I obviously can’t stand, which is totally why I stayed put for like fifteen years,’ Gods, Piccolo, I fucking love you. Don’t be stupid. Are you going to be stupid now that you don’t have me helping you out?”

Piccolo frowned and said, “You don’t have to be a dick _all_ the time, Nail, you could give me like a five minute reprieve after I blow you _and_ fuck you…” Piccolo’s smile crept back against his will and he whispered, “Do you mean that?”

“Yeah, _uliaia_ , I do. Do you not speak Namek anymore?”

“Nope. I guess I didn’t pick up anything, I just let you tell me. Why? What does ooo-lee-eye-a mean?

Nail kissed his nose and laughed. He said, “Your accent is atrocious. It means ‘love.’ I guess maybe ‘lover’ might be a more accurate translation, but I think in English the endearment would just be ‘love.’”

“So what did your other Namek prattling mean?” Piccolo said, kissing Nail’s nose in turn.

Nail looked blank for a minute, scrunched his eyebrows together, then his face split in a smile as he said, “Oh, I didn’t even realize I said it in Namek, sorry. I said, ‘Love, come for me, I love you.’ And you did. See, you know _some_ Namek because you listened.”

“I listened to the fantastic fucking clenching and grip of your ass, baby,” Piccolo murmured and kissed Nail deeply before pulling out and rolling Nail onto his chest, “Your gibbering just confused me. I’ll have to put a gag on you next time.”

Nail bit his pec, but laughed. “No appreciation for all the hard work I did to get out of you so you could get _in_ to me.”

Piccolo squeezed Nail, looking at the beautiful blue sky, marveling at how much had changed in one short week. He kissed Nail and murmured, “Thanks for doing this. Thanks for making my dearest wish come true.”

To Piccolo’s great annoyance, he sensed Gohan coming toward them. He growled and said, “Fuck. We better get dressed. Gohan is on his way.”

“I’ll bet he is.”

“What does that mean?” Piccolo said, standing and pulling Nail to his feet.

“I think you’ll see soon enough.”

“It’s fucking annoying to have to get your thoughts out of you by speaking.”

“I love you, too, my sweet,” Nail said, smirking, and kissed Piccolo. He groped Piccolo’s still naked ass.

“Fuck, I wish he’d leave us alone a little longer at least,” Piccolo said, doing a little of his own groping. Nail slid his hand forward onto Piccolo’s cock. Piccolo groaned, “I wish I’d thought to do this years ago…”

“Mmm…you’ve pined for me for years, huh?” Nail murmured against Piccolo’s lips.

“Yeah, well, from your enthusiasm for jerking me off, I think _you_ might have been doing a bit of pining too.”

“I do like stroking your cock, inside you, outside you, it’s just a nice cock, Piccolo. And there’s plenty of it. No need to hoard it all to yourself, _uliaia._ ”

Before Piccolo could even dress them magically, a super-Saiyan Gohan slammed into Nail, both of them tearing a furrow in the ground next to the river. A massive burst of chi filled the air with debris and Piccolo swore under his breath and dressed himself, ready to dive into the fray that his idiotic pupil had just instigated.


	3. Gohan's Ire

“Godsdamnit, Gohan!” Piccolo roared and threw a punch that caught Gohan completely off guard, crashing into his cheekbone and sending him reeling. 

“Piccolo! What the heck was that for!?” Gohan whined, cupping his cheek, but leaping back to his feet.

Nail stood up, dabbing at the blood coming out of his nose and mouth. He shoved Piccolo’s shoulder. “Hey, I don’t need you to defend me, you fucking oaf.”

“The fuck you don’t! Do you know how powerful Gohan is?”

“Do you know why he’s here?” Nail countered.

Piccolo started to snark back, but he really didn’t. His brows crashed together as he turned to Gohan, clothing himself and Nail so he didn’t have to deal with Gohan gaping at his half-hard cock. “Huh…Why are you here, Gohan? We aren’t training today.”

Gohan’s chi soared again and he glared at Nail. He jabbed a finger at him and said, “He knows why I’m here! I can’t believe you conned Bulma into giving you the dragon ball radar!”

Piccolo snarled, “He didn’t _con_ anyone! He asked politely. _I_ asked politely!”

“Oh, sure, take credit,” Nail said, but he smirked at Piccolo. Piccolo needed Nail to stop flirting with him or he was going to have to simply murder Gohan so he could fuck Nail again in peace.

“But…but…she didn’t know! She didn’t know what you planned!” Gohan whined.

Piccolo’s irritation rose faster than his chi. “Gohan! Why are you here?!”

“To kill him! He’s had you long enough!” Gohan snarled, looking more crazed than he ever had before.

Nail gave a bitter laugh. “You’re such a child. You may have grown older, but you’re still just a fucking child.”

It perplexed Piccolo that Nail and Gohan seemed to have a relationship. They couldn’t have known each other for more than an hour, tops, on Namek, so what was going on? Piccolo was about to ask, but it seemed the talking was done.

Gohan launched toward Nail again, but Piccolo caught him and slammed him on the ground. It knocked the wind out of his pupil, though he was a full grown, powerful demi-Saiyan. He couldn’t seem to focus in his agitated state.

“Gohan, go away! We can spar on Monday if you want, but not today. I’m busy. Which I think you probably knew. Which is annoying that you knew and came to piss me off anyway,” Piccolo grumbled.

“Piccolo—you can’t…you can’t be okay with this?” Gohan said with big, dopey puppy-dog eyes.

“Okay with what?” Piccolo said, completely baffled as to why Gohan was so outraged about Nail.

Nail interjected, “Fucking oblivious as ever. Gods, Piccolo, the boy has a huge crush on you. Honestly, how do you not know that?” Piccolo turned back to his lover to see if he was joking. His serious, perturbed expression shocked Piccolo.

“What?!” Piccolo screeched, wheeling with wide eyes to look down at Gohan.

Gohan looked away, his cheeks flushing red. He growled, “It’s not fair.”

Piccolo said, “What isn’t fair? You’re _married,_ Gohan! And you’ve been my student forever. You’re like a son to me! I could never…you know…love you that way.”

“You could have if you gave me a chance. If _he_ wasn’t always poisoning you against me,” Gohan said and shot a hateful glance at Nail.

“What are you talking about? Nail’s never said a word about you to me. He didn’t have to, you never crossed my mind that way.”

“Oh? And you don’t think he had a hand in that?” Gohan bit out.

“I know my own mind, Gohan, and fucking trust me, Nail is never subtle.”

“That’s what he wants you to think. He’s run you before, when I’ve tried to…make my feelings known…he took over and kept you away from me.”

“What a bunch of—“

“No, he’s right, Piccolo. I took the helm a few times, but he was trying to guilt you into…touching…him,” Nail said, moving closer to Piccolo.

“But…wouldn’t I remember that?”

“You didn’t stop me. You hated dealing with it when he came on to you. You just started automatically withdrawing and I stepped up. You were there the first time, you asked for my help. And he wasn’t subtle either. He tackled you. Kissed you, even when you asked him to stop.”

A memory surfaced in Piccolo’s mind. It was right after Gohan had asked Videl to marry him. He came to Piccolo, nervous he was making a mistake. Piccolo told him if he wasn’t one-hundred-percent, he shouldn’t have asked her, and that she deserved to know he was having reservations, that maybe she was too.

Gohan became angry with him, started hitting him, screaming that Piccolo should just tell Gohan the truth. Piccolo had no inkling of Gohan’s feelings, so the assault was baffling. Gohan demanded Piccolo admit his real reason for trying to break up their engagement. Piccolo did his best to defend himself, but when Gohan was in a pique, he could overpower Piccolo. Which he did. Now Piccolo remembered too clearly. He wanted it to go away.

“Oh shit. Fuck. No wonder I buried it and let Nail take over. What the _fuck_ Gohan?”

Gohan burst into tears and choked out, “You would have…have let me, if not for stupid Nail! He just wanted you for himself!”

More of the memory came back. Piccolo shriveled in horror at the memory. Gohan pinned him, started tearing at his clothes, kissing Piccolo viciously as Piccolo struggled and finally escaped his hold with a cheap shot to Gohan’s nuts. Gohan didn’t relent though, and he touched Piccolo’s cock before Piccolo finally brought him to his senses with a well-aimed head-butt. Piccolo talked honestly with his bleeding, crying student, told him that it would never happen, and that he certainly didn’t have to marry Videl, but that Piccolo was not an option.

Piccolo wasn’t afraid of Gohan after that, he just put it away. He put the memory away where he put all the memories of things he didn’t like. But Nail never forgot. Nail was angry. Nail’s wrath laid in wait for Gohan’s next fuck up. When Gohan would come to Piccolo in a mood, Piccolo just slipped into the back seat. Nail was right. There was no other word for what he did. He couldn’t cope with the bizarre, unsettling behavior of the man he’d viewed as a son for most of his life.

Harder to handle than Gohan’s sexual advances though, was how much a failure Piccolo felt as a father figure. It was clear Gohan felt okay about his pushy, unwelcome attempts to gain Piccolo’s affections through physical means. It wounded him that his pseudo-son would behave so badly at all, but especially against someone he ostensibly loved.

Piccolo sat heavily on the ground. All the buried things, all the times Nail had fended Gohan off for him, came rushing back to him.

Gohan pointed at Nail, but still spoke to Piccolo, “It’s not fair, he’s warped your mind against me while making his own case. It’s not fair, he could…he could just have your attention! He could take it, by force! All of it, if he wanted. He stole you!”

Piccolo sighed wearily. “No, Gohan, he didn’t. Nail and I got along, so we talked more. That made us like each other more, and so on. I didn’t deal with you, I let him deal with you, because it was too painful for me. And he cares about me enough that he was willing to…manage…your bullshit.”

“He was a jerk!”

“And touching me against my will isn’t being a jerk, Gohan?” Piccolo said.

A new wave of scarlet washed over Gohan’s face. “I love you, Piccolo.”

“No, that’s not love, Gohan. You need to stop this. I love Nail. Nail loves me. You can’t get in the way of that just because you’re jealous.”

Gohan’s eyes shifted to teal and his hair blazed gold and he hissed, “Yeah, I think I can.”

Piccolo powered up, throwing Nail back behind himself, but Gohan disappeared. Nail let out a strangled cry, and when Piccolo spun, it was just in time to see them both snap out of existence in a blink. Piccolo roared. He whirled, not believing that Gohan had somehow learned instant transmission and also had taken his new love away from him.

Piccolo couldn’t feel either chi. Piccolo telepathically screamed for Goku. He and Goku rarely communicated this way, but Goku could, if he chose to do so. _Goku! I need you! Now! Please come now!_

_Jeez, Piccolo, you don’t need to shout!_

_I need your help. I need your IT. Your son just abducted Nail using IT._

_Gohan hasn’t mastered it!_ Goku materialized next to Piccolo and said, “Gohan hasn’t done it correctly yet.”

“Yeah, well, he just fucking did. Feel him out, Goku, I have no fucking clue where he went, but he has Nail.”

“Who’s Nail?”

“Feel him out, damnit! I’ll tell you when I’m not worried he’s killing my best friend!”

“I thought—“

“Goku!”

“Sorry! Sorry!” Goku held up his hands and closed his eyes, but his brows furrowed. Minutes passed and Piccolo began to lose his shit. What could a super-Saiyan Gohan do to Nail in only a few minutes? Piccolo’s chi soared. He expected to be weaker without Nail, but he wasn’t…if anything, he somehow felt stronger. Maybe that was just the motivation to kill a Saiyan who was trying to murder the only man Piccolo had ever loved.

“Oh! Of course! I don’t know why I didn’t look there first!” Goku held his hand out and Piccolo took it.

Then Piccolo was on New Namek, Gohan pummeling Nail against a tree, though Nail had held up better than Piccolo anticipated. Piccolo roared, but before he could land a hit on Gohan, Goku had gone Blue and had his arms wrapped around his son. Goku pulled Gohan away from Nail.

Gohan’s face was streaked with tears and dirt and blood. He screamed like an injured animal when Goku seized him. He thrashed, his hair lengthening, his eyebrows disappearing. Goku looked surprised, but more annoyed than anything. “Gohan! Knock it off! I’m your father, but I’m also stronger than you! What are you doing? You’ve beat him nearly to death.”

“Let go of me! Let go!” Gohan bellowed.

Piccolo raced to Nail and lifted him in his arms. Nail smirked at him and said, “Gods, took you long enough,” and passed out.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Gohan? Good gods, take a fucking hint! How could you do this?” Piccolo growled.

Gohan’s chi continued to rise and Piccolo sneered as he reached super-Saiyan Three just to beat up Piccolo’s new boyfriend. Goku kept talking to him, trying to calm him down, but finally let him go long enough to knock him out. Gohan dropped bonelessly to the ground, returning to his base state.

Goku turned wide-eyed to Piccolo holding his hand out after he threw Gohan over his shoulder. “What was _that_ about?”

“Let’s get Nail to Dende and I’ll explain,” Piccolo said, still in shock himself.

At the Lookout Dende hurried out to meet them as soon as they landed. His face was wide-eyed and split with an enormous grin until he saw the state Nail was in.

“Oh, Lord of Lords! He must have forgotten to wish himself back in better condition than Frieza left him in?” Dende asked, gesturing for Piccolo to lay Nail down.

Dende laid his hands on Nail’s bare chest and closed his eyes. Piccolo could feel the energy Dende expended to heal Nail, but it was obviously worth it for the mage as Nail’s eyes came open and they saw each other. Nail smirked and said, “Hey, little brother, good to see you with my own eyes again!”

“Nail!” Dende hugged Nail tightly before he pulled back and said, “I…I wasn’t sure if my dragon balls would allow this, but I’m so glad! When will you return to New Namek? They will so happy to have you back to train more warriors. They’re woefully underprepared for threats that will likely arise as word of the dragon balls continues to spread.”

Nail looked supremely uncomfortable with Dende’s question. Dende’s assumption. Nail glanced at Gohan who was still slung over Goku’s shoulder. Dende followed Nail’s eyes and said, “Oh dear! Does Gohan need healing too?” as he hopped to his feet and rushed over to Goku.

Goku held up a hand to stop him. “Whoa, thanks, Dende, but no. This one needs to stay down a bit longer. Until I can get him home and have a good man-to-man chat with him. Piccolo, I think you better tell me what’s going on because something tells me I’m not going to get a straight answer out of Gohan.”

Piccolo said, “Gohan seems to think he’s in love with me. He thinks Nail is the reason I don’t love him back, which is obviously absurd. But because Nail…stepped up…when Gohan made some aggressive attempts to, um, _be_ with me, he blames Nail for the fact that his love is unrequited.”

Goku said, “Oh man, Piccolo, that is so disappointing. I knew he had…feelings…for you, but I thought he’d moved past it with Videl. Why would he think…well, sorry. I’ll set him straight. And if I can’t, I bet ChiChi can! Welcome to Earth, Nail, sorry about my son!”

“Thanks, Goku. And thanks for saving my people,” Nail said, with a low bow.

Gohan surged to life, tried to knock Goku out with a blow to the back of the head. Goku was ready, so it didn’t. Goku set Gohan down and said, “We’re going to see your mother. You have a lot of explaining to do, young man.”

“I’m not a child, Dad, you and Mom can’t—“

“Well we can darn sure talk to you when you’re acting like a villain!”

“How is…how is…” Gohan struggled to find a way to describe his behavior that didn’t sound _villainous_ and came up empty. He growled and swung his face to Piccolo. Piccolo held Nail’s hand so that Gohan couldn’t separate them if he tried IT again. “Piccolo…please…now that he’s out of you, please, just…”

“Not gonna happen, Gohan. Never would have, regardless of Nail’s staying rent-free in me for years—“

Nail laughed and bumped his shoulder as he said, “Hey, I’m working on paying back my—“

Piccolo shot him a look and he stopped speaking, but smirked up at Piccolo. Piccolo continued, “Gohan, go home to your wife. If you can…settle down…I’m still willing to train with you.”

Gohan snorted and clenched his fists. “I don’t want to train with you Piccolo.”

“Great, I’m not wild about it anymore either,” Piccolo answered.

“That isn’t what—“

“Gohan, I don’t want to see you, or speak to you, until you work through this. I’m not going to be with you. Nothing will change that. Nail has nothing to do with it.”

Gohan’s eyes cut to his father again, and Piccolo could sense he was trying to outwit Goku, which normally wasn’t very difficult, but there was one area Goku was a genius, and that was fighting. Gohan’s chi started to rise again and Goku matched his.

Dende protested, “No, please, two Saiyans fighting on the Lookout would be catastrophic. Please take this elsewhere if you intend to fight.” Dende turned and faced Gohan. Piccolo had never seen the little Namek Guardian look so wounded. “Gohan, I believe you should examine your feelings and your actions more closely. What you feel toward Piccolo isn’t love. Why would you try to kill Nail because of your misguided feelings toward Piccolo?”

Piccolo and Nail hadn’t been explicit about why Gohan was so angry at Nail. Neither really wanted to get into the nature of their relationship. Gohan gave Piccolo a long, dark look and said, “Because I caught them fucking.”

Goku and Dende’s jaws dropped. Dende said, his voice wispy, “You, um, er, what?”

Nail snorted. He said, “Boy, if you think that was fucking, no wonder you’re discontent with your wife,” and chortled.

Gohan lunged, but Piccolo caught him with an uppercut that landed him on his back. “Stay down, Gohan,” Piccolo hissed.

Dende turned to Nail and Piccolo with his brows furrowed. Dende said, “Is…well…”

Nail gave Dende a friendly slap on the shoulder and said, “Come on, Dende, you can’t be that surprised that I fell for Piccolo. Look at him.”

“But…he…you’ve…you’ve _been_ Piccolo for many years now. And, I…well…I saw Piccolo with Scythe on New Namek and I just assumed…”

Nail wheeled on Piccolo with a triumphant smirk. “Ha! I told you, you _were_ trying to get laid! Even Dende noticed!”

“Dende was just busy getting laid so his mind was in the gutter!” Piccolo said with a grin.

Dende flushed and stammered, “I…that’s…just a minute!”

Nail chuckled more and said, “No need to be embarrassed, little brother, you’re a grown man. But I have not _been_ Piccolo, ever. My spirit was trapped in his body, but we have always been separate. All along. The Scythe incident just…crystallized…my resolve to get out of him.”

Dende still looked confused. “Why?”

Goku interrupted, “I think maybe I’ll just take Gohan and let you three figure this part out!” He grabbed Gohan’s forearm and disappeared.

Dende stared at Nail and Piccolo. His eyes lit on their hands together and he said, “Did…did Gohan catch you?”

“No. He caught us kissing. Naked. But we weren’t fucking. At that moment,” Nail said.

Piccolo felt a little like dying of embarrassment. He respected Dende and they were friends, but this felt a bit too personal for the level of friendship they enjoyed.

“Oh, my, I did not expect that. I didn’t realize you two were so…separate.”

Piccolo smiled at Nail, felt sappy and mushy and full of love, and said, “Yeah, we never really merged. We just had a lot of time to get to know one another. And I’m glad. But I’m even more glad you made the Earth dragon balls in such a way that they could separate us.”

“It was a tight fit in there with both our egos,” Nail said, returning Piccolo’s smile. He moved closer to Piccolo.

“But…but…so…so…” Dende spluttered, “So…are you…you didn’t…you didn’t un-merge so you could return to New Namek?”

Nail raised an eyebrow and said, “Definitely not. I un-merged so I had a body to be _with_ Piccolo. I love him, I loved him when I was part of him, but…I wanted to be able to love him in every way.” He glanced up at Piccolo and added with a smirk, his cheeks flushed. “Besides, this way I don’t have to listen to him bitch _all_ the time.”

“Yeah, same to you, you big whiner,” Piccolo said, with a little elbow nudge. “And I can do things the way _I_ like again.”

“You do some things the way _I_ like,” Nail retorted with a sassy little wink. Piccolo blushed and knew it might take him a while to get used to Nail openly loving him like this. To openly loving Nail in return. Because Piccolo had loved him secretly for so long.

“Oh my!” Dende said, his cheeks turning violet again, “I fear the elders on New Namek will be saddened to know that you aren’t returning to them. I…my hope in crafting the dragon balls this way was that you would return to them. To help them.”

“Dende, it’s not really fair to make me feel guilty for…for…for wanting my own life,” Nail said.

“Why not, Nail? You wouldn’t have left Guru for Piccolo, so you ought to be there, with Moori. You made a vow to protect the Supreme Elder. And…and you know this,” Dende gestured between Piccolo and Nail, “isn’t done.”

Nail rolled his eyes. He growled, “Little brother, it _is_ done. You just didn’t see it because you were a child.”

“That isn’t…I know warriors often…had relations…with one another, but it, you can’t, it’s not…It’s not…sustainable. It’s not viable.”

“The fuck it isn’t! The conservative Namekians don’t _want_ it to happen, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fucking _viable_ ,” Nail snarled. Piccolo’s eyebrows shot up. First, he had no idea what “this” they were talking about. Second, Nail rarely got genuinely angry, but he was pissed off right now, at Dende, of all people.

“Nail…you should at least be honest with Piccolo. I knew Scythe wouldn’t…delude…Piccolo, or I would have said something to Piccolo. I know what he wants. And you do too, I’d wager.”

“Shut up, Dende!” Nail bit out.

“What are you two talking about? Nail?” Piccolo said and his heart started to shrivel and die when Nail looked at him with sad eyes. “Nail?”

Dende said, “Warriors can’t mate.”

“What? Uh. Yes, we can. We did,” Piccolo said, reassured.

Dende sighed and said, “No, I believe you had _sex_ , but you didn’t mate.”

“What? What do you mean?” Piccolo said.

“You can’t have children together,” Dende said, his face full of pity. Piccolo turned to Nail, and Nail’s eyes cut away, but not before Piccolo saw they were full of tears.


	4. Atheanna

Piccolo gaped down at Nail.

Nail said, “That isn’t true!” but tears slipped down his cheeks, his eyes dodging Piccolo’s.

Dende said, “Nail, he has the right to know that it’s very unlikely—“

Piccolo interrupted, “What? What do you mean? All Nameks are…are built the same. Why would it matter that we’re both Warrior Clan? And I’m not really of the Warrior Clan, I’m Demon Clan, and no one knows anything about the Demon Clan because I’m all that’s left. I…I love him!” Piccolo said, but his heart ached. He loved Nail so much, and he wanted to be a father badly _with_ Nail. Half the reason he was so excited that Nail had a body again was so they could pair-bond and have a family.

Nail dragged his eyes up to Piccolo’s. They were full of anguish. He whispered, “It’s not…it’s not impossible.”

“Nail, be realistic. Do you know any warriors that succeeded?” Dende said.

“No, but I’ve read about it. And Piccolo’s right, he’s Demon Clan, it might be different!”

“Look at him, Nail, he’s obviously a warrior.”

“You don’t _want_ us to be able to mate because you think that will make me go back to New Namek. Well, it won’t. I’m staying with Piccolo. Even if…even if he wants someone else because of this, he’s my best friend. I’m not leaving. I belong with him,” Nail said and his eyes implored Piccolo to agree.

Piccolo did, in his heart, he couldn’t bear life without Nail. Piccolo didn’t want to go to New Namek. The truth was they were all too traditional and conservative for his tastes. He liked Earth well enough. Though he would follow Nail anywhere, if he heeded his heart. Straight to hell if need be.

“C’mon, Nail, let’s go. It doesn’t matter. We can figure it all out. Thanks for healing him, Dende,” Piccolo said with a little wave. Piccolo slung his arm around Nail’s waist.

“Nail! You have a duty to New Namek. You took a vow of chastity and fealty to the Supreme Guru.”

“Dende, the man that took that vow is dead. And was also kind of an oath-breaker anyway—I was a complete slut on Namek,” Nail added with a big grin.

Dende’s jaw dropped. He stammered, “Bu…but…but you weren’t supposed to have lovers. That…it…you…what about Guru?”

“Yuck, I certainly didn’t fuck Guru, Dende.”

“That isn’t what I meant! I…I looked up to you. I thought you were noble!”

“This is why I don’t want to go back, Dende. There’s nothing noble about not getting laid. And, uh, if my sense of smell didn’t deceive on New Namek a few weeks, you and Tack had a pretty good time, no chastity involved.”

Dende turned purple again. He swallowed hard. 

Nail continued, “I’m not going back, Dende, and I’m certainly not going to feign chastity anymore. It sucked to have to keep all my lovers secret then, and I didn’t _love_ any of them. I could never keep my love for Piccolo secret, or even quiet. I’m just going to be fucking obnoxious about it to see him blush.” Nail looked up at Piccolo.

Piccolo, of course, was blushing. He growled, “You’re not going to be a complete exhibitionist, are you?”

Nail yanked Piccolo down and kissed him lasciviously. When he freed Piccolo, who hadn’t put up even a bit of resistance, Nail said, “Yeah, I am. I love making you turn purple. You’re so fucking cute when you blush.” Nail turned back to Dende and said, “You shouldn’t have to keep your love of Tack secret either. I’m happy that he’s a warrior so you can be more certain of your compatibility. But I’m not going to despair yet. I bet I can get Piccolo to put in some pretty serious effort to become a father.”

Piccolo’s cheeks might just burn for the rest of his existence now that Nail could tease him out loud. Nail chuckled and planted a smacking smooch on Piccolo’s cheek. Piccolo said, “Let’s go before I have a stroke.”

“Piccolo…it won’t work. He should go home. He’s not like you. He’s not an Earthling,” Dende said, and he looked sad, not angry or spiteful, just sad.

Piccolo shrugged and said, “I’ve never been able to make Nail do anything, and that was when he was literally a part of me. I’ve got no chance now. And I’m not inclined to try.”

They stepped off the ledge of the Lookout holding hands and spiraled through the air, free-falling. Nail pulled Piccolo against him and held his face. Nail’s lips were soft, at first, then more insistent, pressing Piccolo’s mouth open and tugging at Piccolo’s lips. Nail’s tongue curled into Piccolo’s mouth and Piccolo groaned with pleasure. Kissing, possibly more than anything else, made Piccolo realize how unsatisfactory all his most recent liaisons had been. Piccolo could never kiss another after this. Never wanted to kiss another.

Nails arms slid under Piccolo’s armpits and up onto his shoulders from behind, nudging his weighted cape out of the way. Piccolo chuckled and slowed their speed, curved them to start flying home. “It’s novel to have someone capable of moving my cape at all, but you act like it weighs nothing.”

“It does weigh nothing. I’ve been wearing it all these years,” Nail said with a smirk. 

Piccolo kissed the smirk, tasted the perfect taste of Nail. Nail slipped out of his clothes as they flew and said, “I don’t want to dress like a Namek anymore.”

“I don’t want you dressed at all anymore. You never wore clothes in my mind, I see no reason to start now,” Piccolo murmured against Nail’s neck as he kissed down it. He landed them and Nail’s legs came up and wrapped around Piccolo’s waist. Piccolo took Nail inside to his bedroom and spread him out.

“Piccolo, I want you. I want you to be my _atheanna._ I could never love anyone like I love you. And we’ve been together so long. I don’t want to wait. Please, _uliaia_?” Nail whispered, helping Piccolo undress. 

Piccolo didn’t want to think about, or talk about, what Dende said. He just wanted Nail. They would find a way to have children. Somehow. And he could go through anything, even childlessness, as long as he was with Nail. He shucked the last of his clothes and climbed above Nail in the oversized bed he’d created for himself.

Bending his head to suck Nail’s nipple, he reached for Nail’s thigh and dragged his claws up it, brushed his knuckles on the space underneath Nail’s balls, the place where humans just had a taint, but not Nameks. Nail groaned just at that light touch. Piccolo kissed over to Nail’s other nipple and nibbled it. Nail’s chest arched up to meet his mouth, his hips rolling toward Piccolo’s hand.

“I want you too, Nail. Forever. I mean, we’ve put in this much time, right?” Piccolo said with a little grin.

Nail smiled back, curled up for a kiss, and said, “You’re lucky you have such a nice prick, you prick.”

Piccolo chuckled and wrapped Nail in his arms. “Baby, you want me to fuck your sheath? Or you want to fuck mine?”

“Can’t we do both?”

“Yeah, I guess if we can’t have babies anyway, we can at least fuck with wild abandon,” Piccolo said, and wished it had sounded more light-hearted than it did.

“Piccolo…I…I think he’s wrong. Most warriors, and as you know, I fucked a _lot_ of warriors, have never even touched a _theadur_. That part Dende was right about—that’s not done. So there might just be a strong enough cultural taboo against it that no warriors have even tried to have babies together.”

“It seems like it is always the mages that are pregnant. I just assumed because the Warrior Clan is more protective so they felt safer that way.”

“It might be. Like I said, I never knew a warrior who had fucked another warrior’s sheath.”

“You did get around. You gonna be less promiscuous now that you have me to sate you?”

“Fuck, Piccolo, I could never be with anyone else now that I have you. I love you so much,” Nail purred and caressed Piccolo’s face.

“Hypothetically, if either of us can get pregnant, it might be worth staggering when we screw each other. Would you want to be pregnant?”

Nail’s nose rumpled up and his lips pursed in a face of distaste. “I’d really prefer not to get knocked up. I…I’m too squeamish for the whole laying an egg business. And you know you want to be pregnant anyway.”

Piccolo kissed Nail roughly and said, “Hey, we’re going to have to communicate differently now that we don’t share a mind, I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

“Yeah, I know, you’re such a good _atheanna_ , trying to act like an adult to get fucked instead of just begging for my cock because you want it inside you so badly,” Nail said barely containing his laughter with his fingertips pressed to his lips.

“I’m gonna have to knock your ass out, gather the dragon balls, and wish you back inside me if you keep up your smart-ass attitude,” Piccolo said, but he couldn’t help but laugh.

Nail kissed up his neck onto his mouth, driving his tongue into Piccolo’s mouth. Piccolo frotted hard with him, loving the feel of their pre-cum slick cocks rubbing together. Nail kissed along his jaw and started tonguing his ear. “Nail…gods…” Piccolo groaned, using his hand to hold their dicks more tightly together, slowly stroking them.

Nail’s hips rolled up to meet Piccolo’s hand and he breathed in Piccolo’s ear, “Piccolo, you don’t have to gather the dragon balls and wish me inside you, you can just beg…I can’t resist you when you beg. You know that. I can’t believe you tried to pretend like you weren’t imagining us giving each other handies every time we jerked off. Or that you didn’t imagine me beneath you every time you fucked someone. I know you’ve fantasized about me fucking your sheath for ages…so…just ask me…”

“Nail…can you…” Piccolo gasped, making his voice as breathy as possible, “can you…Oh, Nail…can you…” Piccolo could barely keep a straight face, “Can you be less of a dick?”

Nail laughed hard against Piccolo’s neck. He kissed down Piccolo’s chest, biting his nipple on his way. Piccolo said, “Come back up here, damnit! You know I like frotting.” He tried to hook Nail under the armpits, but Nail smirked up at him and pushed Piccolo’s legs apart.

“I would rather go down here, Piccolo, if it’s all the same to you,” Nail said with a delicious half-smile and dropped his head, licking the tight slit opening of Piccolo’s _theadur_. 

“Fucking gods, Nail, holy shit!” Piccolo gasped, all humor forgotten under the wave of almost unbearable pleasure.

“Yeah, I thought you’d be an oral man. I knew you’d just fall apart when I got down here,” Nail said, even the soft puff of his breath on Piccolo made Piccolo shudder. “Fuck, and it turns out I’m an oral man, too, because I couldn’t wait to put my tongue inside you, Piccolo…I used to dream of it, and you’d wake up so hard, and it always felt so wrong to let you pull yourself off when I wanted this, your sweet sheath on my mouth, so badly…” Nail whispered the last few words as he kissed Piccolo softly, his tongue feeling out every millimeter of Piccolo before thrusting inside Piccolo hard, a feat Piccolo wasn’t sure was possible without a certain amount of lingual strength. Piccolo’s skin lit up with faint bioluminescence.

Nail could now control Piccolo like a puppeteer. There wasn’t much Piccolo wouldn’t do to keep Nail between his thighs until Piccolo came. Nail’s claws dug into Piccolo’s inner thighs high up as he pushed Piccolo open wider with a groan. Piccolo helped, grabbing the back of his knees: he would tear his own legs off if Nail asked.

Nail’s tongue stroked inside him like it was beckoning something out of Piccolo. And it was. Nail’s tongue coaxed and teased and lured out Piccolo’s pleasure until Piccolo tore the sheets he gripped them so hard and had bloodied his own lips with his fangs in his ecstasy.

Nail’s hand slid down Piccolo’s thigh, under Nail’s chin and two fingers slid inside Piccolo and spread in a V, forcing Piccolo’s _theadur_ open. Nail pulled his mouth away and Piccolo whimpered, “Oh, gods, please, no, Nail, I’ll beg. I am begging. I’m pleading, don’t stop, gods, I need it, I’m so close, please, baby…”

“Mmm…I’m not stopping, _uliaia_ , I just wanted to look at you, see your pretty magenta velvet. You taste so fucking good that I just had to see inside you. Can I fuck you while you come, Piccolo? Can I put my dick in your beautiful pink velveteen sheath?”

“Yes, please, yes, I need you, Nail. I’ve needed you for so long…” Piccolo pleaded. Maybe it wasn't so bad to beg Nail to fuck him. Especially if this was how Nail made him beg.

Nail’s tongue curled into Piccolo and within seconds, that probing heat sent Piccolo spiraling into his first _theadur_ orgasm with another. The powerful muscles rippled and gripped and pulled at Nail as Piccolo arched his back and wailed.

Nail slid up Piccolo’s body and thrust his cock entirely into Piccolo in one smooth motion. Piccolo wrapped around Nail, his arms and legs squeezing the wonderful, perfect, alive body of his long-time love. “Fuck, I love you so much, Nail, so much. I’m so glad you made the wish.”

“Me too, _uliaia_ , _ip uli kor ateuwsa,_ ” Nail breathed. He leaned on one elbow and hooked his other hand back under Piccolo’s ass, gripping it and helping him move up to meet Nail’s thrusts.

Piccolo lunged up to kiss Nail’s mouth more. Nail met him hungrily, his tongue diving into Piccolo’s mouth, stroking Piccolo’s tongue. Nail didn’t thrust fast, but he fucked hard and deep. It felt incredible. Piccolo gasped between kisses, “Nail, holy shit, I can’t believe I’m finally with you, our bodies get to love each other…You’re fucking amazing…”

Nail smirked at him and kissed him more. He bit down Piccolo’s neck and said, “I’ve imagined how I’d fuck you for so long that it’s surreal to finally get to do it, _uliaia_. I want you to come for me, Piccolo. It felt so good sliding into you while you gripped me like that. I want it again. Even your sheath is powerful.”

Piccolo’s body trembled for a long moment and then exploded with the shattering ecstasy of a dual orgasm. His _theadur_ tugged on Nail’s cock, sucked at it, and Piccolo’s own prick spilled cum on his belly and Nail’s. Nail’s head rolled back and he gasped, “Fucking gods, Piccolo, your sheath is milking me, oh gods, I—I—I’m coming, _uliaia_!” 

Nail rammed into Piccolo’s still clenching _theadur_ and as his seed filled Piccolo, they both screamed again. Piccolo’s skin erupted into blazing green light and Nail’s did too, rippling out from the base of his cock where he was joined to Piccolo. Cum in Piccolo’s _theadur_ triggered a whole new kind of euphoria. Judging from Nail’s eyes as they found Piccolo’s, it felt good for him too. They met and Piccolo pulled him down to kiss, never breaking eye contact as the secondary tremor of pleasure rocked them.

After a long slow come down of gently rolling together, Nail broke their kiss and murmured something in Namek. Piccolo raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed. “Sorry, I…you fucked me stupid, Piccolo.” 

Even though they had lived as one person for so many years, Piccolo suppressed a little shudder of excitement as he rose up on his elbows and slinked his antennae over Nail’s for the first time, sharing _peluwsa_ with he new mate. Nail’s eyelids dropped heavily and he groaned as Piccolo let his ecstasy pour into Nail. Nail’s flooded into Piccolo’s mind and all the love Piccolo hadn’t known existed until that day. Piccolo was impressed how well Nail had hidden his love.

“You too, _uliaia_ , where did you keep all this love?” Nail said and chuckled as his antennae got more frisky, moving in an erotic twisting motion around Piccolo’s. Piccolo wondered if his body was even able to climax again, or if that well was dry after so much ecstasy. “Sounds like a challenge, _atheanna_ ,” Nail murmured and tipped back his head and took Piccolo’s antenna in his mouth, sucking it carefully from base to tip.

Piccolo came again instantaneously and Nail cackled with devilish pride. Piccolo moaned and rocked his hips up to make Nail thrust into him more while he quivered through his antenna orgasm. Nail kissed his mouth and said, “You’re mine, Piccolo. You’re mine. My _uliaia,_ my _atheanna._ ”

Piccolo gasped, clutching at Nail’s face, tracing his jaw and cheekbones. “Are you mine, Nail? Are you my _atheanna_?”

“Fuck yes, I’m yours forever. I’ll love you forever. Protect you forever,” Nail growled, his eyes on fire.

Piccolo pulled his mate down into his arms and let the sleep that tugged at him take over as Nail settled in against him. They still glowed softly, and Piccolo hoped that the way they’d lit up at the end meant all Dende’s talk about it not being viable was just a cultural myth. That here on Earth, he and his _atheanna_ could have a whole brood if they wanted and love each other and be a family.


	5. Watching and Waiting

By the time the stars were out, Nail had exhausted Piccolo with much triumphant gloating. Piccolo rode Nail’s hips as he carried them out onto Piccolo’s back deck. Nail kissed up his neck onto his mouth. “Mmm… _uliaia,_ I may never let you sleep again. All those years I didn’t get to make love to you need to be paid for…” Nail purred.

“Good gods, Nail, mercy, you win, you have fucked me into torpor.”

“Don’t I know it, that’s why I’m carrying you, big guy.”

“You’re carrying me so you can keep your cock inside me.”

“Well, I like to multitask,” Nail said and kissed Piccolo more. He pulled out of Piccolo, despite his multitasking. “Can you make us some kind of dual hammock so we can sleep out under the stars? It feels so good to have the wind on my skin again.”

Piccolo kept his hand on Nail’s hip, but concentrated until there was a plush, outdoor bed. Not exactly a hammock, but with the weight of their combined bodies, Piccolo thought a hammock might suck pretty fast. Nail laid down and pulled Piccolo down to him. They entwined their naked bodies, their long, muscular limbs seemingly made to be together. Piccolo murmured, “I love you, baby.”

“ _Ip uli kor, atheanna_.”

Piccolo slept like the dead, and when he woke up to find Nail sprawled on his chest, it felt like he was still asleep, still dreaming. Piccolo placed a hand on his belly, feeling for even the faintest chi, hoping against the dark despair in his heart that he’d feel the first flutters of their baby. Piccolo’s jaw dropped. He felt _something_. He breathed, “Holy shit…”

Nail stirred. He slid his hand over Piccolo’s, lacing their fingers together, and muttered, “What’s up, _uliaia_? You—“ Nail stopped speaking abruptly and sat up. He closed his eyes and focused. When they snapped open they found Piccolo’s and a huge, fang-bearing smile spread on his face. “Hey! Do you feel it?”

Piccolo nodded, awestruck. They left their hands on his belly for several minutes, not moving, not speaking, and they felt the first life of their baby together. Piccolo whispered, “So maybe the Mages made up a bunch of bullshit about it being impossible so Warriors would keep sleeping with them.”

Nail whispered dramatically, “I don’t think we need to whisper,” and then continued in a normal voice, “Maybe. Or maybe it’s because you’re Demon Clan. No one knows anything about your people. Should we tell Dende?”

“He’ll find out, no matter what, remember the whole omniscient thing?”

“You don’t have to be a dick.”

Piccolo grinned and sat up to kiss Nail. He moved their hands lower and kissed Nail back until he was lying down. “Can I give you a proper good morning before we go see him?”

Nail’s tongue twined with his and he helped stroke Piccolo with the lube pouring out of his palm. Piccolo eased into Nail. Nail gasped, “Piccolo, _uliaia_ , gods, I’m so glad we can finally be together. You feel amazing…” and his eyes searched Piccolo’s. “We’re going to have a family, _uliaia_.”

Piccolo kissed him more, unable to stop smiling, even as he panted with the ecstasy of being inside Nail. “Gods, Nail, I can’t wait to fuck your sheath once the baby’s born.”

“I know, me neither. I’m glad it’s only a week and change. I ache for you,” Nail said and pulled Piccolo’s face down to kiss him more.

“Baby, I’ve been fantasizing about something, can I try it?” Piccolo murmured in Nail’s ear and sucked the lobe until Nail squirmed beneath him.

“Anything,” Nail panted.

Piccolo pulled out and Nail looked disgruntled, but Piccolo flipped him over. Piccolo sat back on his haunches and pulled Nail upright. He thrust inside Nail again and growled, “Feels good, yeah?”

Nail nodded before his head fell back against Piccolo’s shoulder, his breathing speeding up. Piccolo wrapped his long arm around Nail and grabbed his cock, stroking him. Nail groaned and purred, “Fuck, yes, fuck, Piccolo. It feels so good when you touch my prick while you fuck me.” Nail bucked up into Piccolo’s hand, and Piccolo loved the way his ass clenched.

But a reach around wasn’t Piccolo’s fantasy. He snaked his other arm around, grateful for his height and wingspan as he trailed his fingers between Nail’s legs. He pressed the pads of his fingers softly against the exterior of Nail’s _theadur_. Nail groaned, “Oh, shit, _uliaia_ , you’re going to destroy me if you do what I think you’re—“

Piccolo thrust two fingers inside Nail’s sheath and Nail’s words trailed off into a gasping moan. Piccolo fingered him gently at first, rolling his hips up and driving his cock farther inside Nail’s ass. Nail’s breathy cries made Piccolo pant and he bit Nail’s trap, nipped up to his ear, and rasped, “You thought I wouldn’t be able to destroy you, baby? You thought I wouldn’t know how to make sure you never want anyone else ever again?”

“ _Atheanna_ , oh gods, I…you’re…I’m not ready to come, Piccolo! Please!”

“But you’re going to come for me, aren’t you? You’re going to come and I’m just going to keep fucking and fingering you, and your cock will be all slick with your cum, so I can just keep running my hand up and down your perfect prick, and you’re going to come again.”

“Ah! Piccolo! Oh fuck! Ah! Ah! Fuck!” Nail’s ass twitched on Piccolo, and Nail screamed. 

His cum streamed out over Piccolo’s knuckles as his opening gripped and seized on Piccolo’s cock. “Come for me, baby, keep coming while I fuck your tight little ass. Is your sheath going to grip me? Is it, baby?”

Nail whimpered, his ass still going wild, and Piccolo slipped a third finger alongside his other two, twisting them as he plunged deeper into Nail’s velvety heat. “ _Uliaia_! I…oh, oh, oh gods!”

Piccolo loved making Nail completely incoherent. It was heaven. Nail’s sheath savaged Piccolo’s hand and Piccolo moaned with the ecstasy of pleasing his mate this way. “Oh, fuck, baby, that feels amazing. I love making you come for me,”Piccolo purred, thrusting his hand and his cock harder.

Nail couldn’t speak anymore, he rode Piccolo’s lap and fucked into Piccolo’s fist and spread his legs wider to take more of Piccolo’s hand in his sheath, but all that came out of him were staccato cries. He wrapped his arm up over his shoulder and around Piccolo’s head, clinging to Piccolo. Piccolo loved having every part of his lover at his mercy.

“Piccolo,” Nail pleaded, his other hand coming up over his head to grope at Piccolo, caressing his antennae. 

“Gods, Nail, if you do that I’m going to come and I won’t be able to get you off again,” Piccolo breathed.

“I…I’m so close, Piccolo! I want to feel you come inside me, then I can, I can come again!” Nail choked out in between gasping cries.

“Your sheath too, baby? I won’t let go until I feel that velvet grip,” Piccolo said and sucked Nail’s neck hard, “I want to make you feel good, _atheanna_.”

Nail’s whole body shuddered hard and he wailed. Piccolo felt his sheath go first this time, which set off his cock. The trembling spasms of Nail’s ass pushed Piccolo over the edge. A guttural noise of pleasure escaped him as he slammed up into Nail through the throes of his climax, Nail babbling in Namekian, and Piccolo pushed a fourth finger inside his love, needing more of Nail. Wanting everything from Nail.

They came down slowly, quivering through the final tremors of their orgasms. Piccolo gently laid Nail down as he eased out of him. “You okay, baby?” he whispered and kissed Nail’s mouth.

“Holy shit, Piccolo, you don’t mess around, do you?”

“Only with you, baby,” Piccolo said and curled around Nail, squeezing him tightly.

“I don’t want to go see Dende, Piccolo, he’s going to try to guilt me into going back to New Namek.”

“If it’s what you want, Nail, I’ll go with you.”

“It’s not. I like it here. I like it here _with you_. New Namek is too traditional. And they would not approve of us at all, like formally cast us out levels of not approve. Especially if we show that two warriors can mate.”

“Okay, I just…I just wanted you to know that I’ll…I’ll follow you, wherever you want to go,” Piccolo said, feeling a little sheepish, but it was the truth.

“I just want to be with you, big guy, right here, in your arms,” Nail said and rolled in Piccolo’s arms so they could share _peluwsa_. 

After a long time, cuddling and sharing their love and affection and excitement about the baby, they pulled apart and stretched. They made their slow kissing way to the shower where Nail went down on Piccolo before they wound up fucking under the spray. Piccolo wasn’t sure he would ever be able to function again because it seemed he couldn’t stop fucking Nail for more than ten minutes or so.

Piccolo dressed them both in Earth clothes, and Nail snarked, “Oh, so am I just a sex doll that you’re gonna play dress-up with?”

Piccolo rolled his eyes and made Nail naked again. Nail laughed and Piccolo couldn’t help his own chuckles as he said, “This is my favorite, but I didn’t think it’d go over well with Dende. I don’t want him getting any ideas.” Piccolo leaned and kissed Nail. Nail brushed his antennae over Piccolo’s and Piccolo dressed him again, this time in the outfit Nail envisioned: a tight, thin black t-shirt, well-fitted dark jeans, and biker boots.

Nail touched his ear. “You do piercings too?”

Piccolo bit his lobe and murmured, “You mean with magic?”

“Seems more sanitary than a fang piercing, but you can do it however you want,” Nail said with a grin. He turned to meet Piccolo’s mouth, grabbing his jaw, and he kissed Piccolo deeply. While they kissed, Piccolo put heavy gauge hoops through each of Nail’s earlobes and started laughing as he imagined Dende’s reaction. Nail muttered against his lips, “Perfect, _uliaia_ , thank you. Poor Dende is going to hate me forever.”

“Nah, he loves you. He gets over stuff. Plus his brain is always on Tack anyway.”

“More than his brain,” Nail said with a little giggle as they took flight.

Dende came out to greet them when they touched down on the Lookout, though his face appeared troubled. “Hello Nail. Piccolo.”

Nail said, “Oh come on, little brother, are you going to be a bitch about this? I’m not changing my mind. Does it mean so little to you that we’re both finally happy? That we’re in love?”

“Nail!” Piccolo said, “You don’t have to be mean!”

“Oh, quiet, big guy, even if he’s not truly my little brother, that was our relationship, but he’s a grown man. Why does this bother you, Dende?”

“I…It doesn’t bother me. I just believe that it’s unfair for Piccolo and he’s my friend as well, Nail. He wants a family. He has wanted a family for a long time, and now I can’t help but wonder if your influence is the reason that he hasn’t already had one. If you wanted to be his _atheanna_ so badly you blinded him to the very idea of having anyone else.”

“Fucking hell, Dende!” Piccolo growled, “Why does everyone think he was puppeteering me all these years? I know how I feel. I’ve known for years. I didn’t tell him when he was trapped inside me, but this is what we both want. What we found together, no forcing or tricking or blinding involved.”

Nail nodded, squashed in closer to Piccolo. Piccolo draped his arm around Nail and kissed the top of his head. It infuriated him that someone else was questioning their love. Nail said, “We came to you for advice, but if you don’t support us, we’ll just figure it out on our own.”

Dende’s eyebrows rumpled together and he said, “Advice about what?”

Piccolo turned to Nail, he felt his fangs showing he was grinning so broadly and Nail was too. Nail didn’t turn away from Piccolo as he said, “We’re going to have a baby.”

“ _What!?_ ” Dende squawked.

“Piccolo’s pregnant, here, come here, feel for yourself,” Nail said and beckoned Dende closer. He lifted Piccolo’s shirt and pressed Dende’s trembling hand to Piccolo’s belly, which still looked very not pregnant.

Dende allowed it, then his face morphed, suddenly more intrigued than surprised. He placed his other hand on Piccolo and when Piccolo started to speak, Dende hissed, “Shush!”

Both big warriors waited patiently and silently for Dende to speak. Dende backed away from Piccolo, pensive and silent, his eyes darting all over the ground. Nail swallowed audibly next to Piccolo and a creeping, cold fear filled Piccolo too. He had hoped Dende would be congratulatory, feared that he would be angry, but it terrified him that Dende seemed…baffled.

Dende’s eyes met Piccolo’s slowly and searched them. Dende said, “It’s…it’s strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“It’s not as an egg should feel at this stage, assuming you conceived yesterday, yes?”

“Yeah, but what do you mean?” Piccolo said, trying to swallow the thick, throat-clogging anguish that rose at Dende’s vague words.

“Well…I don’t know. It’s clear you _are_ pregnant, but the chi is strange. Too small, but not weak. I don’t understand it. I’ve never experienced anything like it in my healer training. Perhaps this is why there is a taboo against _atheanna_ like you two. Maybe it’s to protect you from constant miscarriage.”

Nail wrapped around Piccolo’s waist in a flash, both hands splayed protectively on Piccolo’s belly. He snarled, “Don’t even say that, Dende!”

“I…I’m sorry, Nail, but chi like this…I can’t imagine it’s…viable.”

Piccolo tried to hold in his sorrow, but it exploded out of him in a heaving sob. Nail clutched Piccolo to his chest and kissed him and murmured, “No, no, don’t cry. He doesn’t know. If he’s never experienced this, maybe Warrior babies just feel different. Don’t listen to him, _uliaia_.”

“I…I want _your_ baby, Nail,” Piccolo blubbered, wishing Dende would just go away so they could mourn in peace.

“You’ll have it. Come on. He’s no help. Let’s go home.”

Piccolo nodded and let Nail carry him, but Dende shouted, “Wait! I’m truly not trying to upset you! I’d like to help in whatever way I can. Come back tomorrow and we’ll just observe the progress? Yes? I…Although I hoped you’d go to New Namek, Nail, I also want you to be happy. And I wish Piccolo happiness as well. I would never _wish_ barrenness on you. I only don’t want Piccolo to suffer unnecessarily. Please, allow me to keep an eye on you?”

Both big warriors nodded.

Nail rushed Piccolo home.

* * *

Every morning, Piccolo woke fearing the chi would be gone. And every day its chi grew. But Piccolo didn’t. By day five, all three Nameks were in full-blown panic at the utter lack of change in Piccolo’s physique. Namek pregnancies lasted eight to ten days, being unchanged on day five made no sense for someone who was growing an egg in their womb.

“Dende! Surely someone on New Namek must have some knowledge of this, right? There must be some research or writing on it? On the origin of the taboo against Warriors mating together?”

“There isn’t, Piccolo. Guru might have known, but he’s gone. All Namekian history and science and lore was lost in the original cataclysm. If anything survived, it was obliterated when Frieza destroyed Namek.”

Nail’s face was drawn and weary with fear as he said, “What do we do? Is Piccolo going to be okay? Should we abort?”

“No, I don’t think that’s…necessary…yet. We can only wait and watch. Perhaps Namek Warriors mating together simply have a longer gestation?” Dende said, but he squeezed Nail’s shoulder, “If I had any fear for Piccolo’s well-being, I would tell you. He seems healthy as ever, though, if anything, perhaps even healthier. Doesn’t he have a bit of a glow?”

Nail grinned and looked Piccolo up and down before he said, his fangs peeking out, “I think I just fuck him so good he never stops glowing,” and quipped Piccolo’s chin. Piccolo blushed, no matter how he tried not to flush, Nail always won that battle.

“Oh my!” Dende squeaked, turning a matching shade of violet.

So they waited. And waited. And waited. After eight weeks, Nail said as they showered, “ _Uliaia_ , I think you’re rounded. Your washboard abs are almost a tiny, adorable little tummy. It’s full and ripe looking.”

Piccolo examined himself and they both palmed his stomach and agreed that he was rounder than usual. Piccolo had a sudden flash of insight. “Hey, what if we go see Bulma? I’ll bet she has an ultrasound or something like the human doctors use to look inside women. Maybe she can check me out?”

Nail kissed Piccolo hard, his hand drifted lower. Piccolo grabbed it and laced their fingers together. Piccolo whispered, “Baby, I want answers. Let’s go see Bulma and then we can get back to doing what we do best.”

“ _Uliaia_ , you’re torturing me. You finally look so cute and pregnant and you’re not going to let me ravish you?”

“You know I _like_ torturing you, baby.”

“I know. You really do. Gods, Piccolo, why the fuck did I wait so long?” Nail said and slid his hands up Piccolo’s chest onto his jaw. He pulled Piccolo down and kissed him deeply. Piccolo wrapped Nail in his arms, squeezing him tight as they kissed, and he reconsidered whether they couldn’t delay seeing Bulma for just a little while. Their baby seemed to be in no rush.


	6. Strange Chi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some low-key Namek lactation ahead.

“I thought Nameks reproduced by laying eggs?” Bulma said as she stared at the screen.

Piccolo and Nail gaped at the screen too. There, plain as day, even for the untrained eye, was a tiny fetus in Piccolo’s womb. Not a fetus encased in an egg, but a fetus, floating around like a placental mammal. Piccolo wanted to touch his belly, but he didn't want to get the weird gel on his hands or interrupt Bulma’s examination.

Nail managed to croak, “We _do_ , but…well…two Warriors aren’t really supposed to mate. Maybe this is why? Does, um, does it look okay?”

Bulma pressed a button and the soft, rapid whoosh of a little heartbeat made Piccolo’s breath catch in his throat. Nail squeezed his hand and said, "Holy shit, _uliaia,_ it's our baby!”

Bulma continued, “I mean, I don't know a thing about Namekian biology, but he sounds hale and hearty. I'd be happy to check him out periodically, we could chart his growth to have some benchmarks in case you guys decide to have more than one.”

Nail grinned at Piccolo and said, “Oh, we will, I'm going to pump him full of babies until he begs me to stop.”

Bulma giggled and Piccolo, of course, flushed. “Damnit, Nail, stop saying shit like that to people!”

Nail chortled and kissed Piccolo, whose resistance crumbled immediately. “No, I don't think I will. Look at your sweet purple cheeks. I love making you blush like you don’t beg for my c—“

Piccolo yanked his mate into a deep kiss to cut off his extremely lewd statement. Bulma wheezed with laughter, barely keeping the ultrasound wand on Piccolo’s belly. Piccolo murmured against Nail’s lips, “Stop or I won’t.”

“You’re so cute, _uliaia_. I love you,” Nail whispered and kissed Piccolo again.

Piccolo turned back to Bulma. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how long I go?”

“Maybe…the fetus looks quite a bit farther along than a human fetus would be at this stage, so I’m guessing your gestation will be shorter. I’ll take some anatomical scans for reference and compare them to various animals’ development and see if I can give you a ballpark due date. Sound good? I can’t make any promises, but it might make it less of a mystery.”

* * *

They returned to Bulma every two weeks. She estimated they would be due in late November, after six months. Nail and Piccolo worked on the nursery together, argued about names, and continued to have a ridiculous amount of sex. Piccolo’s happiness was so intense that he still sometimes got teary-eyed when they came together, and Nail always teased him, but Piccolo didn't mind.

After three months, Nail had Piccolo on all fours on the bed, slowing fucking Piccolo’s _theadur_ when Piccolo yelped in surprise.

“Did I hurt you, _atheanna_?” Nail said. He eased himself out of Piccolo, caressing his ass.

Piccolo whimpered with want and gasped, “No, fuck, no, please don't stop, baby, I was so close.”

Nail drove back into him, groaning, “You sounded hurt.”

“No…no, just a weird thing with my belly. I need you to come in me, baby,” Piccolo pleaded. Nail plunged into him more deeply, withdrew with delicious slowness, and rocked back into Piccolo as far as he could. Piccolo’s sheath trembled and Piccolo reached back to grip Nail’s steely thigh.

Nail ran his hands up Piccolo’s sides and curled over him to kiss Piccolo’s spine. A throaty growl escaped him and he clutched Piccolo's pecs, pulling him back hard onto Nail’s cock. “Come for me, Piccolo, come with me, together!” Nail moaned and the way Nail’s prick pulsed inside Piccolo set him off. His sheath tightened and released in ecstatic waves, made more delightful as Nail rolled Piccolo’s sensitive nipples between his thumb and forefinger.

Nail rolled into him through their simultaneous climax, and slowed until he held himself deep inside Piccolo, kissing his back and murmuring in Namekian. After a while he said, “Mmm…now that I’ve taken care of you, you want to tell me what happened with your belly?”

“I think…I think I felt him move. Several times over the past week or so I thought he had, but this…now I’m sure. Let me lay back, maybe he’ll move for you.”

Nail growled, “I want to stay inside you all day.”

“I have to pee again anyway. And you said you wanted to train today after I distracted you yesterday.”

Nail chuckled and pulled out. He gave Piccolo a little swat on the ass and said, “Well, I said that before I started fucking you today. Before you fucked me this morning and made me hungry.”

“There's still plenty of day left, baby,” Piccolo said as Nail followed him into the bathroom.

“You trying to get rid of me?” Nail said and bent to kiss Piccolo even though he was on the toilet. 

“Not even a little. You told me yesterday that you wanted me to help you get out and train,” Piccolo said.

They crawled back in bed. Nail kissed all over Piccolo’s torso, licking a line up the center of his belly, and sucked each nipple until Piccolo was writhing again. Nail said, “It's impossible with you looking like this, Piccolo. I love it. I’m glad you're having a baby, not laying an egg, because I get to have more of you while you're so full and fertile-looking. It has the added bonus of making you even tighter somehow.”

Piccolo stretched and said, “The word you’re looking for is ‘fat.’ And you don’t have to pretend that you like me like this. I look disgusting. Thank the gods for rear-entry so you don’t have to look at me.” Piccolo ran a hand over his big, round belly.

Nail trailed a hand down over Piccolo’s tummy and took his cock in hand. He stroked Piccolo languidly and said, “Stop being stupid, Piccolo. I love you and I love you like this. You’re beautiful. You’re sexy. And I want to fuck you all the damn time, which makes it very hard to train, _atheanna_.”

Piccolo pulled Nail’s hand off of his prick and spread it on his belly, pressing firmly in the place where he could feel the baby was resting. Piccolo prodded his tummy with his fingers over Nail’s and got a little kick in response. Nail’s eyes widened and darted up from his hand to Piccolo’s. A huge fanged grin broke open on his face and he said, “Holy shit! He’s already got a kick on him!”

“I’m glad I get to be pregnant with a baby instead of an egg, even if it does take longer. This is worth it. That’s our baby, already training in there,” Piccolo said and pulled Nail to kiss him. Nail poked the baby again and was rewarded with another feisty kick, and Piccolo grinned into their kiss.

“We should really go up and tell Dende.”

“Yeah, we should. Do you think two mages would have the same thing? Or do you think this is some weird Demon clan thing?” Piccolo asked, rubbing his bump.

Nail shrugged, kissed Piccolo more, and moved above him. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter to me. You’re my only, and you're all mine. No other Nameks will have my good fortune. I’ve gotten to be with the best Namek for years, and now the best Namek is going to have my kid. Frieza kicking my ass might be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Do you really want more, baby?” Piccolo asked, letting Nail continue to shove the baby around, getting a little response every time. Nail scooted between Piccolo’s legs.

“I’ll give you as many as you want, Piccolo. I don’t want to be pregnant though, in case you’re getting any ideas.”

Piccolo frowned and grabbed Nail’s prick, stroking him and thinking. “I do want to fuck your sheath at some point.”

“I know, I want that too…I wish our people weren’t so stupid about sex stuff. I guess I can risk getting pregnant for you to have greater sexual pleasure,” Nail said with a smirk. He kissed Piccolo more, caressing Piccolo’s sheath, and said, “I want you again. How do I want you again already? This is why I’ve done hardly any training since we unmerged. It turns out you’re the one who’s motivated to train, not me. I’m only motivated to fuck you.”

“Nail…You told me to make you train today,” Piccolo said, and he tipped Nail off him and onto his back. Piccolo pinned Nail's hands above his head. “But I’m going to be too fat to fuck you like this soon.”

“Does that mean you're going to take advantage of the time you have left?” Nail said with a sexy smirk.

Piccolo sucked each of Nail’s nipples until Nail panted beneath him. Nail shifted his hips to take Piccolo inside himself but Piccolo held him off and slid his fingers inside Nail’s sheath. Nail gasped, “Oh gods, you can’t do that, we can’t…we can’t both get pregnant at the same time.”

“But can I finger your sheath until you come and then fuck your ass while you’re still coming?”

Nail grinned and said, “See? You don't want me to train. You just wanted a turn fucking me.”

“Maybe…Besides you’ll never be as strong as me anyway, so no point training,” Piccolo said, knowing the comment would rile Nail up.

He fought Piccolo’s hold and growled, though he couldn't hide his smile, “That’s complete bullshit, and you know it!”

Piccolo fingered Nail harder, faster, and made a chi band pinning him to the bed. He slid down Nail’s body and licked around his fingers where they slid inside Nail’s sheath. “You should have left to train when you had the chance. Now you're trapped.”

Nail's muscles strained and he swore, some mix of rage and lust as Piccolo spread him open and slipped his tongue inside Nail, twisting it. “Godsdamnit, Piccolo! Take this fucking thing off or I’ll destroy the bed,” Nail gasped, but he bucked his hips up toward Piccolo’s mouth.

Piccolo plunged his tongue deeper, Nail groaning and squirming more until he wailed and his _theadur_ spasmed wildly. It pulsed and milked Piccolo’s tongue and he growled against Nail. Nail shook and cried out again as big, heavy ropes of cum hit his belly.

Piccolo lubed his cock and lifted Nail by the hips. Piccolo thrust into his _atheanna_ hard. Nail’s eyes scrunched closed as he whispered, “Fuck…Piccolo…oh, fuck, you feel so fucking good!”

Piccolo held Nail’s legs wide in the crook of his elbows and rose up on his knees. He teased Nail, pulling most of the way out until Nail pleaded, than slammed back into him. Nail no longer fought the chi restraint and Piccolo loved seeing Nail stretched out so beautifully for him, his muscles tense and on display, his fangs glistening where his mouth hung open, and his abs streaked with cum.

“You’re twitching for me already, baby. I think you wanted to get fucked. You can just ask me, Nail, you don’t have to pretend you don’t want my dick you in all the time.”

Nail’s ass clenched tight on Piccolo. A throaty growl escaped Piccolo. Nail’s eyes opened a little and he smirked at Piccolo and purred, “Even when your prick is in me, _uliaia_ , I’m doing the fucking.”

Piccolo took Nail’s bait, and pounded him zealously, bringing Nail to climax in a few short minutes. Piccolo’s orgasm shook him as soon as Nail’s ass began to spasm on him.

Nail grinned and whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, too. But I think we can both agree that I just fucked you.”

Nail tried to escape the chi cuff again and laughed. “You’re not going to free me until I agree, are you?”

“Nope.”

Nail’s eyes glittered stubbornly and he said, “I definitely did the fucking.” His ass squeezed down on Piccolo’s still hyper-sensitive cock.

Piccolo caressed Nail’s thighs and raised an eyebrow. “I guess you’ll have to stay down until I can convince you.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Nail purred, rolling his whole body in a smooth, muscular wave that ended with him taking Piccolo’s still hard cock deeper inside himself.

“You are a stubborn motherfucker,” Piccolo said and laughed.

“Hey, I was inside you for years, you can stay inside me for a few rounds,” Nail said and chortled. He used his legs to pull Piccolo down to kiss him and murmured against his lips, grinning, “Your cock is amazing, _atheanna_. I love the way you let me fuck you.”

* * *

Nail refused to train with Piccolo while he was pregnant, which was irritating enough, but the final few weeks, when Piccolo was miserably uncomfortable, he forbade Piccolo from training physically in any way. Normally Piccolo would have laughed at Nail’s stricture and gone about his training, but the first day Piccolo flouted Nail’s law, Nail wouldn’t have sex with him in any fashion. The second time, Nail wouldn’t even sleep in the same room no matter how Piccolo begged. So there was no third time.

Nail was out training with Vegeta one morning when Piccolo was well into his sixth month, bitterly cursing Bulma for her shitty prediction, when he bent over to get something out of the fridge and hot liquid poured down the inside of his thighs. Piccolo stared in confusion for a long moment until his whole midsection twisted with agony and he forgot the mess.

“Fucking gods,” he grumbled, clutching his stomach. “Of course fucking Nail would be out training when I go into labor.” Piccolo held on to the counter as another contraction ripped through him.

Piccolo closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and reached out to Nail with his mind. _Baby? Can you hear me?_

_Oh shit! I didn’t know we could do this! Aw, just like old times, huh? What’s up_ uliaia _?_

_Yeah, great. Fucking fabulous. I just went into labor. Can you get Dende and maybe Bulma and come home? Fuck!_

Nail didn’t respond, but Piccolo hoped it was because he was busy rounding up what would have to pass for Piccolo’s medical team. The next contraction dropped him to his knees and he screamed. Shame burned through him: he should be able to handle having a baby. He’d taken massive beatings. He’d had limbs ripped off. He could do this. But he screamed again when the next one felt like it ripped him in half.

The last voice in the world he wanted to hear shouted, “Piccolo! Piccolo! Oh gods, Piccolo!”

“Leave me alone, Gohan! I’m dealing with other things right now, I can’t deal with your bullshit!” Piccolo shouted, still on his knees in the kitchen, hunched over his murderous belly.

“Your chi is going crazy!” Gohan came into the kitchen and stammered, “Wh…what—what is going on?” He slipped in some of the fluid from Piccolo’s water breaking and almost went down. He grabbed the counter and kept himself upright, but stared like he had stepped in dog shit.

“Get out of my fucking house, Gohan! Nail will be back soon, and if I have to call your dad to come fucking subdue you, it is really going to piss me off!”

“Piccolo, are you…are you in labor?” Gohan said with a choked voice.

“Yes, you fucking moron, please leave me alone!” Piccolo grimaced and tried to stand, but another contraction tore him apart, causing him to stumble.

Gohan caught him and said, “Be careful! You don’t want to fall on your belly!”

“I know that! Stop touching me!” Piccolo shouted and shoved Gohan away.

“Can I at least help you to your bed or something? Where is Nail? Should I go get him?”

Piccolo hadn’t seen Gohan since the awful events of the day he and Nail had split, and now was not a good time to talk about that. Piccolo pleaded, “Please leave Nail alone, Gohan. Please! If you ever cared about me at all, don’t do this now. Don’t hurt him now, please!”

Gohan looked horrified, his eyebrows creased in the middle and his eyes wide. He finished helping Piccolo up and said, “Not like that, Piccolo. I meant could I bring him here, to you, to help you. I…I didn’t think you two would have a family so soon. I didn’t know you could.”

“He’s on his way. He’s just getting Dende and Bulma to help. I’m not…not like a normal Namek. Shit, fuck, fucking hell, how can anything inside me hurt this badly?” Piccolo doubled over in pain and panted through another contraction.

Nail shouted, “What the fuck are you doing? Get your hands off of him!” Nail rushed to Piccolo, swung him up in his arms, and carried him to the bedroom, even as Gohan trailed behind them. 

“I was just trying to help! I felt his chi going nuts and he was alone, I wanted to make sure he was okay!” Gohan protested.

“I’m here now, _uliaia_. Bulma and Dende and Vegeta are en route.”

“Why is Vegeta coming?” Piccolo choked out.

“Because we didn’t know why Gohan was here. It seems he put on his big-boy pants today.”

“You don’t have to be rude, Nail!” Gohan said. 

“You literally almost beat me to death the last time I saw you, Gohan, I think I’m legally required to be fucking rude,” Nail snarked back.

“Both of you! Shut the fuck up! Holy shit! Holy shit! It hurts so badly!” Piccolo panted through another backbreaking contraction, crushing Nail’s hand in his.

“Breathe, _atheanna_ , breathe. You’re going to hyperventilate if you keep doing that.”

“Should I get a doctor?” Gohan asked.

“What the hell would a human doctor know about a Namekian live birth? Even Namekians don’t know about it!” Nail snarled.

“Well…Humans all have live births, so maybe…maybe they could help?”

Piccolo growled, “I’ll be fine. I can give birth, it’s obviously something bodies figure out on their own. It’s just fucking awful!” He gritted his teeth through another contraction.

“Your contractions are right on top of each other, Piccolo. In humans that means you’re probably getting close,” Gohan said.

Piccolo hissed, “I’ve been in labor like twenty minutes, tops, Gohan!”

Nail tried to shove Gohan out of the room. “Go away! I want to get his pants off so he’s not all soggy and so the baby doesn’t arrive with a zipper in his face. Go on, get out!”

Piccolo breathed a huge sigh of relief as Bulma and Dende rushed in, Vegeta on their heels. He grabbed Gohan roughly and barked, “Come with me, boy, they don’t need your bullshit.”

“But—“

“Bulma’s had two babies, she knows more than you. Dende’s a healer by training. You can’t stay, you’ll stress him out. Don’t make me power up to get rid of you.”

Gohan left with Vegeta, but Piccolo quickly lost interest in that little drama as another contraction tore through him. “Fucking hell, Bulma, why did you do this twice?”

“Oh, you forget pretty much the minute you see their little face!” she said cheerfully and put a couple sticky leads on his belly. She hooked up some wires and continued, “Oh, yeah, you are doing good work, Piccolo. Those are some big ones.”

“Dende, what’s happening?” Piccolo asked between heaving breaths.

“Nail, can you help me get his pants off?” Dende said. 

Piccolo closed his eyes and focused in the moment between contractions and his clothes disappeared. He groaned, “Sorry, Bulma, guess now you’ve seen two different types of alien dick.”

“Turns out they all look pretty much the same. Well…mostly.”

“What does that mean?” Nail asked.

“Nail, focus! I don’t want to hear how Bulma thinks my dick compares to Vegeta’s!” Piccolo shouted.

Bulma laughed and said, “I didn’t know you’d be _ribbed_. That seems nice.”

Nail gave her a smirk and said, “It _is_ nice. Way better than human dick.”

Bulma said, “Well, Saiyan dick is better than human dick too, but I guess maybe you sort of know that--“

“Focus! Fucking gods, you two! Enough dick talk! Oh gods, oh gods, how many more of these do I have to endure?” Piccolo said. Dende and Bulma gave each other a wide-eyed look. “What? What does that look mean?”

“Most women labor for hours, Piccolo,” Bulma said, her eyes full of pity.

Dende nodded and said, “Yes, Nameks too. Sometimes for days.”

Piccolo screeched, “Days!? I’ll die!”

“No, but you will be very tired,” Dende said, “You’re strong enough that you won’t die. And perhaps it’s different with a live birth. It is entirely outside my experience, unfortunately. If you, well…if Nail permits me, I can examine your _theadur_ and see how things are coming along.”

Piccolo shot Nail a murderous look and Nail held up his hands in surrender as he said, “Yeah, of course, whatever he needs.”

Dende and Nail shifted Piccolo and Dende did his examination. “Things do seem to be rather precipitous, Bulma. Do you have any experience with that?”

“No, my children both resisted coming in to the world. Poor Vegeta almost died.”

“I did not, woman!” Vegeta shouted from the other room.

“You did too! You hate seeing me suffer!”

Vegeta’s only answer was a growl. Bulma laughed and said, “His contractions are very intense, so maybe the baby is coming in hot.”

“Let’s get him cleaned up and get some clean towels underneath him while we have the chance,” Dende said.

Bulma and Dende bustled around while Piccolo tried to survive and Nail tried to help him. Nail’s skin gleamed with sweat and his color was dull and muddy. Piccolo choked out between contractions, “Why do _you_ look so bad?”

Nail bent and kissed him. Piccolo could feel him shaking. Piccolo cupped his face, pulled away, and whispered, gasping as another contraction rocked him, “Hey, baby, I’ll be okay. You know I’ll be okay, right?”

“I’m scared. I hate not being able to help you.”

“It’s okay, baby. Just be with me. Let me keep breaking your hand because you’re too wimpy to withstand my grip,” Piccolo panted out.

Nail smirked and said, “Even an asshole in dire circumstances.”

Piccolo screamed and clutched his belly. The contractions started to blur together after that and Piccolo lost all sense of time and even what the others were doing. It was hard work, so he was getting tired by the time he bellowed, “Fuck, I need to push, Nail, fuck, prop me up, this is your fucking fault! Fucking asshole, knocking me up! Help me!”

“I love you too, _uliaia_ ,” Nail said, but he helped Piccolo shift positions just in time for a whole new type of contraction.

Piccolo slipped back into his fugue state of surviving his own body, doing exactly as it demanded of him, and then Dende was shouting, “One more, Piccolo!”

Piccolo didn’t understand, so he kept listening to his body. But then he heard the softest, sweetest sound and it snapped him out of the trance of labor and delivery: a little snarling cry.

Nail was babbling in Namekian, kissing all over Piccolo, as he laid Piccolo back into a pile of pillows. Piccolo’s eyes were transfixed by the tiny green, perfectly formed, miniature Namek that Dende was handing him. Piccolo stared down into the tiny face, his eyes were still scrunched shut and his little antennae were plastered to his skull, squashed and flat. Piccolo’s baby made another disgruntled noise and twisted into Piccolo’s chest, diving to find the nectar that Namekians made for their young. 

His baby latched onto him and Piccolo burst into happy tears. “Look at him, Nail, look how perfect he is. Thank you, Dende. Thank you, Bulma. Oh my gods, just look at him.” 

Nail kissed the top of their baby’s head and unfurled his itty, bitty fingers. They wrapped around Nail’s finger and tears splashed down onto Piccolo’s face from his _atheanna._ He craned back to look up at Nail, and Nail kissed him deeply.

“Let me in there, woman! I want to see the damn baby!”

“Vegeta, good lord, they just got him out, you can’t—“

Vegeta barged into the room. Nail got between him and Piccolo. “Oh, get out of my way, Nail, I just want to see the damned baby! I may be an asshole, but I’m not going to hurt a fucking baby! I love babies!” Vegeta snarled. He seemed to realize what he’d said, turned scarlet, growled more, and shoved past Nail. Nail moved back to Piccolo’s side. 

“Good gods, Namekians make cute babies! Look at his little cheeks!” Vegeta said before again realizing that there were witnesses to his soft spot for babies. He straightened up and said, “If any of you assholes speaks of this _ever_ , I will murder you,” and he left in a flustered huff.

Bulma laughed and said, “Congratulations, you two. He’s perfect. I’m going to go console my husband, who is now going to want to have another child thanks to you.”

Dende checked Piccolo over and then asked to examine the baby. Piccolo’s desire to incinerate Dende was profound, but his rational brain pushed down the rabid, protective animal that reared up at the thought of letting go of his child. He nodded and reluctantly pulled the baby from his chest. His eyes opened just a bit and Piccolo fell even more in love as they stared up at him.

Dende did a quick once-over and smiled as he handed the baby back to Piccolo. Piccolo cradled his baby, unable to tear his eyes away from his child as Dende bid them farewell and congratulations. Nail retrieved a diaper and crawled into bed beside Piccolo so he could cuddle with them both.

“What should we name him, _uliaia_?”

“I don’t know, I always thought if I ever had a kid I’d name him Nail, but that seems confusing,” Piccolo said and twisted to kiss Nail, both of them grinning.

“You okay? You must be exhausted.”

“What time is it?”

“You were in labor about twenty-hours. Dende said that’s fast for a Namek.”

“Gods, glad I didn’t labor slowly,” Piccolo said, chuckling.

“What about Scythe? Since he brought us together?” Nail said.

“Seriously?” Piccolo said, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Hmm…what about Nico? Kind of human-ish, since he’s an Earthling?”

Nail smiled and kissed Piccolo deeply. The baby grumbled and Piccolo shifted him to eating on the other side. Nail murmured, “That sounds perfect. You did great, _atheanna_.”

A soft knock surprised them both. “Come in,” Piccolo said warily.

Gohan poked his head into the room. His cheeks were bright red and he said, “I just…um…I just…I just wanted to say sorry. For everything. I…I’ve had some time to think about what I’ve been doing. What I did. And I see how messed up it was. How wrong. I’m really sorry, Piccolo. And sorry for beating you up, Nail. And congratulations. I’ll leave you two in peace, but…I just wanted you to know. In case you were worried I’d go crazy again.”

“Thanks, Gohan. I’m sure we’ll see you around,” Piccolo said. It was a relief to know that a crazed super Saiyan with teleporting abilities wasn’t going to be coming after them or their child, but Piccolo just wanted him to leave. He wanted to be alone with his new little family.

“You sure you’re okay, _uliaia_? Your chi feels strange,” Nail asked, looking into Piccolo’s eyes and giving him another kiss while he caressed Nico’s head.

“I mean, I’m wrecked because having a baby was hard. But I’m so happy, I don’t care even a little.”

“Get some rest, I’ll watch over you both,” Nail whispered.

“Thanks, baby. I’m so tired,” Piccolo murmured, curled into Nail’s strong arms, and dropped into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to [Namekkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namekkin/pseuds/Namekkin) for the idea to have squashed flat antennae on baby Nico and thanks to Minos336 for the idea to have Namekians nurse with nectar instead of milk.


	7. Nail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more low-key Namekian lactation and some alien biology.

Nail woke to the sound of Nico crying. Panic rushed up around him the moment he was truly awake. Piccolo’s chi was next to nothing, a faint glow next to him. Nail sat up and saw with horror that Piccolo’s eyes were cracked open, his mouth slack, and his color was awful, barely green it was so muddy. So unhealthy. Nico flailed around on Piccolo’s lifeless chest until Nail scooped him up. 

Nail reached out to Dende with all his mind bent on the little Namek. _Dende! Oh, gods, please, Dende! He’s dying! Piccolo’s dying! Help me, fuck, please!_

_What?_ came Dende’s startled, sleepy voice.

_Come to our house, maybe you can heal him, please, I don’t know, please hurry!_ Nail screamed mentally. 

Nico’s wailing became more transparently hungry and he rooted around on Nail’s chest. Nail pressed him to a nipple, hoping that two warriors could both nurse like other Namek couples. Nico suckled contentedly and Nail squawked at the bizarre sensation of the nectar flowing out of him.

He shifted Piccolo to be sitting up. Piccolo remained completely motionless, floppy, breathing, but barely. Nail checked his pulse and it was faint and slow, but more alarming was Piccolo’s temperature. He was on fire. Nail gently patted Piccolo’s cheeks while Nico fed. “Hey, _uliaia_ , it’s time to rally. You can’t do this. We only just got to be together. You can’t die. It’s not allowed. You’ve already been wished back, so you really can’t fucking die!” Nail lost his composure and shouted the last part. He’d never known fear like this, not even at the end of his fight with Frieza before Piccolo showed up. 

Nail would trade his life in a heartbeat for his _atheanna._ Maybe the dragon balls could do that? Nail realized with despair that they’d been used too recently, so no matter how quickly he gathered them, he couldn’t transfer his life force to Piccolo. Tears burned in his eyes. Nico began to fuss and Nail shifted him to the other side absently. How would he ever raise their baby without Piccolo? He couldn’t bear the thought of his life without Piccolo. His whole world had been Piccolo for so long and Nail _liked_ it that way. 

“Oh Lord of Lords, Nail! What’s wrong with him?” Dende said, rushing into the room.

“How should I know? I just woke up to him trying to die. Oh fuck,” Nail said, clutching his forehead with his free hand, “his chi felt so weird yesterday after he gave birth, but I just assumed it was from Nico’s chi shifting out of him and exhaustion. Oh gods, oh gods, why didn’t I do something last night?”

“Nail, calm down. Okay. Well, likely something about labor and delivery caused this. Let me reach out to Bulma, perhaps she has some ideas.” Dende’s eyes slid closed and after a short moment, reopened as he said, “She’ll be here momentarily.”

Vegeta flew in and deposited Bulma next to the bed. She had a bag with her and opened it, started prodding Piccolo with all manner of instruments. She yelled at Vegeta to go get something and he disappeared. Nail was in a fog of terror. He’d done this. He killed his own mate and for what? To fuck his _theadur_? Nail should have listened to Dende. Should have let Piccolo find a mage for a mate.

“Nail! Snap out of it! I need your help moving him. He never passed a placenta yesterday, did he? I didn't even think about it because there was no umbilical cord, but there must have been some kind of lining to his womb.”

Nail stared in confusion, glanced at Dende, and saw the same lack of understanding mirrored in the healer’s face. Nail said, “Shit, I don’t know, what’s a placenta? Nothing came out after Nico, no. Piccolo just shrank back down, said he was exhausted, and went to sleep. Dende? Can you heal him?”

Dende placed his hands on Piccolo and cringed away. “He’s so hot! Unnaturally hot! What could cause that? Bulma?”

She cocked her head to the side. “Do Namekians not get fevers?”

“What?” Nail said simultaneously with Dende.

“Do your bodies get hot when you get an infection?”

“An infection? What’s that?” Nail asked.

“Oh gods. Okay, so we’re maybe learning all kinds of things. Dende, seriously, no one gets sick?” Bulma asked.

“Occasionally if they drink bad water or eat bad food they vomit. But no one ever has a higher body temperature as a result.”

Bulma hissed, “What the hell are healers for then?”

“Healing injuries. You know, wounds. Delivering eggs. Infertility issues. Issues related to aging.”

“Fuck. Godsdamnit, what took you so long?” Bulma growled and Vegeta stomped back in with the ultrasound.

“It wasn’t where you said it was, woman!”

“Shut up, Vegeta, I don’t have time for your shit.”

Vegeta looked completely unfazed by her vitriol. He crossed his arms and said, “He looks septic. Dende, you said Nameks don’t typically have live births?”

Dende shook his head and said, “No, never. Warriors aren’t supposed to mate.”

“Perhaps they aren’t supposed to mate because their wombs aren’t set up for live birth and it’s contaminated his blood somehow,” Vegeta said.

Nail thought that sounded reasonable. Nail was vaguely irritated that Vegeta seemed to be the most useful one present. Bulma said, “I think that’s a possibility. I want to look at his womb.” She got out the goop she always used on Piccolo and turned the machine on.

After a long time, prodding Piccolo’s limp body, and humming at various blobs on the screen that meant nothing to Nail, Bulma said, “I think whatever went wrong, whether it’s a certainty because of the whole weird tribal thing, or because something just went wrong this one time, I think he’s bleeding out internally and also septic, both of which are very bad. Dende, you should be able to at least heal the internal bleeding, right?”

“Yes, I…I was just startled by how hot his body is,” Dende said and spread his hands on Piccolo’s belly. 

“Is that the real reason you didn’t want us to mate?” Nail said, unable to help himself. Humor helped Nail cope with almost everything. 

Dende flushed dark purple and said, “That…Nail! Just…be serious!” Nail chuckled, bu Nail sensed Dende’s magic like a sound too low to hear, but that he could feel. It thrummed out of the little mage and Nail was grateful for how hard Dende was trying.

Vegeta snarled, “Give me the baby, damnit. He’s eaten plenty, and you’re distracted. He needs a change. Now. Give him to me!”

Nail glared at Vegeta and said, “For now. I don’t want you absconding with him. His name is Nico.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes and took Nico, cuddling him against his chest. A smirk quirked his lips.

Vegeta walked over to look down on Piccolo’s face. He pressed his forehead to Piccolo’s and a wild flare of jealousy roared up in Nail’s chest. Vegeta stood back up, his eyes perplexed, and said, “Hey, Nail, come here. Do that. What I did. He’s trying to say something, but I can’t make it out.”

Nail pressed his forehead to his mate’s, twisting his antennae around Piccolo’s. Dark, nebulous fear was the overwhelming mood of Piccolo’s mind, but behind it, there was an impulse. Like Piccolo needed to vomit, but couldn’t. But it wasn’t vomiting. Nail pulled back and called to Bulma, “Hey, Bulma, you said something about a thing that should have come out of him? I think you’re right. Can you make it come out of him?”

Bulma looked at Piccolo with scared eyes and said, “I’m not a doctor, I can’t do what he needs. But I think for enough money, I know someone who can.” She pulled out her phone and tapped at it.

Nail pleaded, “Anything. Okay, I don’t actually have any money, but I’ll do whatever—“

Vegeta interrupted, “Tell her to get the big gun antibiotics that they use for serious human ailments. The intravenous kind. Now! I don’t know if it will work for him, but he’s fading, and there wasn’t much left of him to start the day.”

“Nail, I’ll take care of the money, don't worry about that. Vegeta, go to my OB’s house. You know she’ll come, but be ready to pick her up. You remember where—“

“Oh sure, right after I finally get to hold the baby. I'm like a fucking human taxi service. Very well. Here, Nail, take your son back, but I’m cuddling him again when I return and you will _not_ give me shit about it!” Vegeta snarled and rocketed out and away.

Nail glanced at Bulma and said, “I think you better have another baby or you’re going to be raising a green one.”

Bulma laughed and said, “Ah, no, thank you. I’m all done with babies. Bulla is plenty. I swear she’s like a tiny, somehow angrier, version of Vegeta. Not that Vegeta and Piccolo should have mated, because what a godsdamned disaster that would have been, but they are very much aligned in their 'passel' ideals of family. Every time a baby wasn't a baby anymore, they’d pop out a new one until they had an army of grumpy, super-strong aliens that liked babies.”

Nail chuckled. He scooted back up on the bed and bent over Piccolo, pressed their heads together. He sent wave after angry wave of _You can’t die, fucker!_ at Piccolo until he got a flicker of a response.

_Shut up, for fuck’s sake. I don’t feel good,_ Piccolo's weak, slurred voice whispered in Nail’s mind.

_Hang on for me, please,_ uliaia _, please. You know I’m fucking worthless without you. You can’t leave your son. Remember? Nico? You don’t want just me raising him, do you? Can you imagine a bigger disaster?_

_No, but…you can do it. You’ll be okay…promise me…promise me you’ll be okay?_

Nail sobbed and said, both aloud and in his mind, “The fuck I will, you asshole. I’m not promising anything! I won’t! I promise to be a complete fucking wreck! I promise I’ll give our child away to Vegeta! I promise to have all kinds of promiscuous sex on your grave to try to console myself! You can’t fucking die!”

But Piccolo made no answer. Not even a soft chuckle. Dende and Bulma stared at Nail with what he assumed was horror. He supposed people outside his relationship with Piccolo didn’t understand their brand of teasing, taunting affection. He didn’t want anyone but Piccolo to understand. He only wanted Piccolo. Nail felt like he was trying to save Piccolo’s life like water in his hands and no matter how tightly he squeezed his fingers together, Piccolo’s remaining chi trickled out between them.

He snaked his arm behind Piccolo’s floppy, boneless neck and crushed Piccolo in a one-sided hug, squashing Nico between them so he fussed, but didn’t really cry. Nail whispered, “Please. Please, _uliaia_ , please don’t leave me alone.”

Vegeta returned with a woman who looked very flustered. She paused wide-eyed in the doorway and said, “But…he’s…well…a he.”

Bulma quickly explained the situation to the doctor and used the ultrasound to point things out. The doctor said, “I need to scrub up, everyone but Bulma and the healer out.”

Nail protested, though he liked the authority of the woman, it made him feel better, “I’m not leav—“

“The hell you aren’t. Get out. I don’t need his husband or whatever you are breathing down my neck while I perform my first alien surgery. Get out now. We’re down to the wire here. Bulma, I’ll probably need the ultrasound to even get an IV started. Sweet Kami he’s hot, what’s normal for his species?”

“One-hundred and four point two has been his normal,” Bulma answered and said, “Go on, Nail. I’ll watch over him. We’ll do everything we can.”

Nail left, squeezing Piccolo’s slack hand one last time. He met Dende’s eyes and said, “Please keep him alive.”

Vegeta accosted Nail the moment he was out in the living room, and barked, “Baby, baby now.”

“Sweet gods, Vegeta. Settle down! What are you in heat?”

“Maybe I am, what’s it to you?” Vegeta growled.

Nail raised his eyebrows and transferred a dozing Nico to Vegeta’s arms. “Is that a thing that happens to Saiyans?”

“Yes. I’m not. But I always want babies. That stubborn woman has deprived me from the very beginning as punishment for not sticking around when Trunks was an infant.”

“If you love babies, why—“

“None of your godsdamned business, Namek!”

“Was it because—“

“Shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you! You know more than you should about my personal life thanks to your godsdamned mate not informing me that there were…spectators. Good gods,” Vegeta said and then gasped with wide, horrified eyes, and whispered, “Did he…did he let you…take the helm? Oh gods!”

Nail, despite his terror for Piccolo, couldn’t help but laugh at Vegeta’s overwrought response to things. “Uh, yeah, he definitely did. Sharing is caring, Vegeta.”

Vegeta sprang away from Nail and his cheeks turned crimson. “I…I, that is just…good gods. You two are fucking depraved!”

“We certainly are fucking. And not just you!”

“Oooo, you infuriating green bastard! I can’t believe he did that!”

“You couldn’t tell? I think you could tell. I think you like me better,” Nail said with a smirk. He needed to not think about what was possibly happening to his mate at that very moment. The word surgery was only a mysterious human concept to Nail, but he knew it involved cutting them open on purpose. Nail didn’t like that one bit.

He hopped as Vegeta dropped smoothly to try a sweeper kick to take out Nail’s legs. Vegeta made a few more half-hearted attempts to hit Nail. Nail chuckled until Vegeta finally landed a blow. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as Bulma walked out right as Vegeta decked him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you! Don’t attack Nail! Godsdamnit, Vegeta! Are you trying to keep his baby? This has got to stop, we’re not having another baby!” Bulma stormed over to take Nico from Vegeta.

“Don’t you dare, woman. Go do what needs doing to save Piccolo. I’m holding Nico. Nail was being a prick.”

“Just trying to fit in, Vegeta,” Nail said with a big grin.

Vegeta lunged but Bulma gave him a look and he stopped. Nail considered fucking with him more, but decided it wasn’t worth potentially waking the baby. Bulma said, “Nail, we’ve got antibiotics flowing, but we’re not sure how he’s going to react. Diane is working on getting whatever the Namekian version of a placenta is out of Piccolo. I’m going to go back in, can you two behave? You need to stop making so much noise.”

She disappeared and Vegeta glared at Nail. He whispered, “I did _not_ know. You’re a pervert!”

“Did you forget that one time that you called—“

“Shut up!” Vegeta hissed.

Making sport of Vegeta was helping Nail survive Piccolo’s illness. But he might have to make a habit of this. He imagined that if he brought up their history while training, Vegeta would get flustered and Nail would be able to beat the shit out of him. That would be a real treat. Nail liked the idea of besting a Saiyan, even if the method was less than honorable.

Vegeta paced. Nail snapped, “Stop it, you’re making me more stressed than I already am!”

Vegeta said, “You shouldn’t have mated with him. This is your fault!”

Nail wanted to defend himself, but the arrow hit too close to the bullseye. Nail’s eyes and nose burned with the imminent humiliation of tears. He snarled, “Fuck you! How was I supposed to know this would happen? We weren’t supposed to be able to have a child at all!”

“Damnit! Don’t tell the woman I made you cry! She’ll never let me live it down,” Vegeta grumbled and awkwardly patted Nail’s back.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be such an asshole! My mate is dying, you stupid prick, could you try not to make feel even worse? This is the thanks I get for letting you hold the baby? I’m telling everyone that you love babies. I’m telling _Goku_ that you love babies!”

Vegeta growled and Nico woke up, blinking up at Vegeta as he yawned and stretched his little green limbs jerkily. He tried to root on Vegeta and Vegeta said, “Oh no, little one, you can’t already want to go back to him. Choose me. You’ll like me better.”

When Nico’s rooting went unrewarded, he began to cry with gusto. Nail took Nico and fed him while Vegeta brooded. Nail could feel that Vegeta was anxious for Piccolo too. Vegeta and Piccolo had been friends forever, though neither man would ever let anyone hear them call the other by that title. Nail could see Vegeta was focusing on the dregs of Piccolo’s chi. Nail’s mind was bent on it too. It had stabilized some, and felt less like sand in an hourglass. 

Nail tried not to look at the clock, but he saw Vegeta glancing at his watch constantly. Nail said, “Fuck, can you just go? You’re driving me crazy.”

“I’m not doing anything!” Vegeta barked.

“But you’re thinking loudly,” Nail complained.

“That is just bullshit!”

Nail tried being polite as he said, “Please go away?”

Vegeta hissed, “I want to be around in case they need me as their errand boy. I’m not actually _trying_ to annoy you.”

“You’re just a natural,” Nail said with a sweet smile. If Vegeta was going to stay, Nail was going to use him as a distraction by goading Vegeta into another argument.

“You’re just jealous because I’m better in bed than you and you can’t stand it!” Vegeta said with an evil smirk.

Nail threw his head back and guffawed. “That is fucking _rich_ , Vegeta. You don’t hold a candle to me. If he wakes up, we can settle that ridiculous question once and for all. I’ve had about enough of you making that claim.”

Vegeta growled, “Oh, shut up! Give me the damned baby if you’re going to keep trying to piss me off!”

“I’m not giving my baby to a madman,” Nail said, enjoying how Vegeta’s teeth ground audibly.

Bulma and the doctor came out together. The doctor said, “I have no idea if he’ll pull through, having never operated on an alien before, or even any other species besides a human. You might’ve been better off with a vet—“

“Are you calling us fucking animals?” Nail said in a low, menacing voice.

“No, not even a little. But vets are accustomed to operating on all different body types whereas I’ve just done the one. In any case, the lining of his…womb…was very much a mess and probably should have been expelled after he gave birth. I don’t know why he didn’t birth it. If he pulls through, and that is a huge if, I’d like to coordinate with Bulma to do at least a basic run through of Namekian anatomy so I can be more helpful in the future. For now I’ve done all I can. If I didn’t have shift in an hour, I would stay. Best of luck.”

Nail nodded and tried not to be terse. “Thank you for your help. Can I go in and see him? Is there any hope that the medicine you gave him will help?”

“It usually helps in humans, but he’s far gone and I have no idea how his biology will interact with it. I can’t believe you didn’t bring me in on this sooner, Bulma.”

“Yeah, well, I sound a little crazy even describing it, don’t I?”

“That’s true. If not for your very _persuasive_ husband, I probably wouldn’t have come at all,” the doctor said, ogling Vegeta.

Nail’s patience was gone. He slipped back into their bedroom. Dende had his hands splayed on Piccolo’s belly. Sweat rolled down his brow and his temples as the magic hummed out of him. After a while, he pulled away and shook his hands, like they were tired. He glanced at Nail and his expression was so defeated that Nail felt a fresh round of tears.

“You don’t think he’ll survive, do you?” Nail choked out.

“He’s barely alive now, Nail. I’m sorry. What if he remains…like this? What will you do?”

Nail’s wailing cry startled Nico awake. Nail clutched his son as he dropped to his knees. This new awful possibility never occurred to Nail. Nail wasn’t the decisive one. Piccolo was. He needed his mate. He needed his other half. His soul-mate. His _atheanna_. Without Piccolo, Nail was adrift.

Dende sat down next to him and wrapped his arms around Nail. “I’m so sorry, brother. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not giving up, Dende. He’s so fucking stubborn. He’ll come back to Nico, even if he wouldn’t fight to come back to me. He’ll come back for his son.”

“Oh, Nail, I hope you’re right.”


	8. The Longest Day

Once everyone was gone, Nail stripped and laid his body alongside Piccolo’s, trying to touch every bit of his mate. Nico was curled on Piccolo’s chest and Nail wrapped an arm around him to keep him safe. The baby seemed to rest easier once he snuffled around on Piccolo for a bit, like Piccolo’s familiar scentcalmed Nico as much as it calmed Nail.

Nail’s fingers trailed over Piccolo’s too hot skin. “What the hell, Piccolo? This is very poor form. I’m going to kick your ass when you wake up. Well. After I fuck you stupid. And kiss you forever. And never let you go again. Fuck, I almost want to remerge just so you can’t quietly fade away,” Nail said in a low voice that he hoped wouldn’t keep Nico from sleeping.

Nail kissed Piccolo’s shoulder. Nail murmured against Piccolo’s skin. “You probably didn’t hear Vegeta out there, but he’s being a complete idiot about you. He said he didn’t know that I was there watching, or driving. It was when you were with him, when things were looking potentially serious, that I realized that I was in love with you, you know.” Nail snorted at Vegeta claiming he had no idea Nail was a part of it. Vegeta knew. He’d liked fucking Nail, but he hated admitting such a thing because the time he’d called out for Nail while Nail fucked him, Vegeta had been madly in love with Piccolo. Not that Piccolo knew that. But Nail knew. Vegeta lost it he was so embarrassed that he’d admitted he knew Nail was even present, let alone in charge.

Nail kept his mouth against Piccolo as he rambled at his mate, hoping Nail’s voice would encourage him to cling to life, “When he lost his shit for calling my name, I was so pissed. At first I thought it was my ego, but it was just that I hated the idea of him loving you. Of you potentially loving him back. So I didn’t want you to fuck him anymore. I wanted him to want to fuck me just so I could keep you away from him.” Nail chuckled. 

“I pretended Vegeta was you, and that was a challenge. Fucking tiny little man, but I usually managed. But it was Vegeta that made me realize I wanted you to be mine. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to make it happen, so I denied it for a long time. I knew it was no good trying to keep you from catting around, but that’s when I started trying to get your attention while you fucked. I know you thought I was just trying to be annoying, but it was as close as I could get to you fucking me. Or like how I asked you to let me live the cock while you drove the hand? I know you thought that was just to liven things up, but…it was because I loved you, even back then, Piccolo. I’ve loved you so long. I’ve wanted to be with you so long. Don’t fucking leave me now that I finally got to have you.”

Nail rose up on his elbow and looked down at Piccolo. He wished Piccolo’s color would improve, that would give Nail something to cling to as a sign for hope. “Do you hear me? You have to hear me, _uliaia_. My point is that I waited a really fucking long time to have you and I’m going to be so pissed if you just give up and die because of some warrior to warrior breeding bullshit. You’re not going to let those conservative Namek twats keep us apart are you? With their dumb rules about which clans can mate. You have to recover or I’m going to go fuck the shit out of Scythe. Like every way imaginable. And if you’re watching from the afterlife, I’m going to tell him that he’s way better at fucking than you,” Nail said in a choked voice, but tears spilled out of him, looking down on his lifeless mate. Nail couldn’t even hear a faint hum of consciousness. He covered his mouth with his hand as he sobbed.

“But he won’t be, _uliaia_ , nobody is. You’re my only. The only man I’ve ever wanted, Piccolo. And I really was a slut, so it’s not like I just don’t know any better. I sampled widely. And you’re still the one I want. The only one I want. Ever. Please, come back, Piccolo. Please.”

Nail straddled Piccolo and rested on the other side of his broad chest and coiled his arm around Nico. He didn’t really rest, because Piccolo’s breathing was so shallow and slow that Nail was terrified his weight would be too much. “I also need you to come back to help me keep Vegeta from stealing Nico. He really likes Nico, Piccolo. And you know I can’t keep that motherfucker at bay on my own. Why won’t Bulma just let him pump her full of another baby? It would simplify everything. Do you think he’s serious that it’s vengeance for the Trunks disaster?”

Piccolo remained silent on the subject. Nail kissed his chest softly. Nail knew laying in bed all day with Piccolo wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference, but he couldn’t shake his belief that Piccolo might slip his mortal coil if Nail left him alone. That maybe Nail taunting him was all that was keeping him firmly attached to his body.

Nail did spend the day in bed, getting up to change Nico, but even bringing what little he could stand to eat and drink into the bed, to be near his mate. Nail also couldn’t bear the thought that if Piccolo were to die, that he might die alone. Nail left Nico cuddled up against Piccolo’s side whenever he rushed to the bathroom or to the kitchen, convinced that Nico would keep Piccolo alive.

A little after the sun went down, their bedroom bathed in a gloomy reddish light, someone knocked on the door. Nail reached out and felt it was Vegeta and Dende. Nail raced out, swung open the door, and bit out, “What? I don’t want to leave him! What do you want? Make it quick.”

“Shut up, Namek, we’re here to see how he is. Out of the way,” Vegeta said, shoving past Nail. Nail hurried into the bedroom to make sure Piccolo was covered. Piccolo was still his, even like this, and it didn’t matter at all to Nail that Vegeta had seen it all before.

Dende trailed after them, and Nail was glad Dende was there so Nail could keep his bad behavior in check. He would be tempted to torment Vegeta more as an outlet for his own suffering if Dende, with his gentle, kind soul, wasn’t there to force Nail to pretend not to be a jerk.

“Has he moved or spoken?” Vegeta asked, already holding Nico without permission. Nail watched as the surly Saiyan pressed his nose to Nico’s scalp, smelling the delicious Piccolo-baby smell of Nico. Nail wanted to tear his child away from Vegeta, but he glanced at Dende, who seemed to think Vegeta holding the baby was a positive thing.

“No, nothing. And I’ve been trying to goad him out of his coma.”

Vegeta snorted. “Some mate you are, an asshole even when he can’t defend himself.”

Nail’s stomach twisted painfully at Vegeta’s words and he felt a fresh round of sobs climbing up his throat. 

“Vegeta! Shame on you! To say such a thing when Nail’s _atheanna_ is in this state. You promised you would behave!” Dende chided.

Vegeta snarled, “Quiet, little Namek. I’m serious! He shouldn’t be mean to Piccolo when he’s like this!”

“Oh, Vegeta, don’t be obstinate or I’ll take the baby,” Dende said and approached the little Saiyan, who took a few steps away.

“The fuck you will. God or not, I’m cuddling this baby until Piccolo is revived. Nail, next time you have to make sure he expels the afterbirth right away.”

Nail was proud of himself for swallowing his tears, for not giving Vegeta that satisfaction. “Shut up, Vegeta. Obviously if Piccolo and I ever have another baby we’ll know how things are supposed to go. This has never happened, you know. I don’t need your bullshit on top of this. If you’re rude again, I’ll take Nico back.”

“Try me, Nail. Go ahead and try me,” Vegeta said, lowering into fighting stance, holding Nico in his back arm.

“Are you checking to see if Piccolo will rise from his coma to defend me from his asshole ex?” Nail said. Vegeta hated being referred to as Piccolo’s ex.

“I am not his—“

“He _dumped_ you. Maybe even for me,” Nail said with a satisfied smirk.

“You fucking bastard, that is _not_ what happened!”

“You cheated on him! Of course that’s what happened!”

Vegeta roared in outrage and Nico woke up bawling. Vegeta choked out, “I didn’t _cheat_!”

Nail retrieved his son, nursed him and said calmly, “The fuck you didn’t! I was there, Vegeta, literally inside him. I saw how it all went down.”

“We were broken up!”

“Uh, no you weren’t. You were just mad—“

“Nail! Shut the fuck up!”

Dende chimed in and said, “What…what is happening? What are you talking about? Were…Vegeta…were you…involved with Piccolo?”

“That is a…a…a…vague description of something that was very simple! We just…we just fucked!” Vegeta snapped, his cheeks flushing a deep red.

“Oh is that why you always asked him to—“ Nail was cut off as Vegeta slammed a hand over his mouth. Nail expected Vegeta to strike him, but not this.

“Not another word, Nail!” Vegeta growled.

“Vegeta, you misled me! You said Piccolo was your best friend and that was why you wished to come visit!” Dende said. He put his hands on his hips and continued, “Come, I didn’t know you would be upsetting Nail by bringing up your past relationship. I can’t believe Piccolo never told me you two were seeing each other. How strange, you do not seem to be his type—“

“Why? Because I’m not green?” Vegeta grumbled, anxiously hovering near Nail, whether to get Nico back the minute he was done eating or to clap his hand back over Nail’s mouth, Nail didn’t know.

“No, you’re just so…well…Piccolo was…so…”

“Don’t say ‘was,’ Dende! He’s going to pull through! Gods, get out if you’re going to use the past tense.”

“Nail, I was going to say promiscuous, which he no longer is. I in no way meant to imply his existence was over.”

Nail sneered and said, “Oh, so you just call him a slut instead?”

“No, but do you deny that he moved through partners at a rather rapid rate?” Dende said, sounding fucking reasonable. Nail didn't need reasonable right now. Nail knew his fury was unjustified, but Dende’s words pushed him over the edge and he sobbed.

Vegeta barked, “Well done, Dende. Good gods, what is wrong with you? What a thing to say to a man who’s mate is in a coma! And in front of his son!”

Dende looked flabbergasted by Vegeta’s words and tried to defend himself, “But, you, mere minutes ago you were…were…”

Vegeta said, “Go on. Go back up to the Lookout unless you’re going to try to heal Piccolo.”

“I _have_ tried to heal Piccolo, Vegeta! I’m exhausted! I stopped the internal bleeding earlier, but Nameks don’t normally get this fever-infection thing that you and Bulma seem familiar with. It’s not as though you’ve done anything to help!” Dende said, his voice rising.

“Both of you can leave! You’re not helpful at all!” Nail said.

“I’m not leaving. I’m here to help with the baby. And to tell the big asshole to wake the fuck up. But Dende can just take his conservative ass away from here. As if he doesn’t scamper off to New Namek at every opportunity to get fucked,” Vegeta said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Dende turned fuchsia. He spluttered, “What!? I—that—Vegeta—how…”

“Well, someone has to watch the Guardian of Earth, don’t they? Make sure he’s not up to nefarious shit?”

“I would never—“

“No? Just call other people promiscuous when you’re just as much a little—“

“I’m monogamous with Tack! He just won’t come here!” Dende shouted. Then his eyes grew wide. 

Vegeta chuckled. “Oh, well, forgive me. You’re still being a conservative twat and Piccolo doesn’t need that in what little life he still has in him—“

“Fuck you both! Piccolo is going to be fine! He’s going to live and neither of you are helping!”

Dende said, more quietly, “Very well. Nail, reach out to me if you need anything. I apologize. I didn’t mean to insult you or Piccolo.”

Nail deflated. “I know, Dende. I’m just on edge. Thanks for all you did today. I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.”

Dende nodded and said, “Vegeta,” rather curtly and left.

Vegeta glared at Nail. “He didn’t dump me.”

“Not before you knocked Bulma up, you’re right. Only after.”

“That…that is simplifying what was a very complicated situation. I…Look…I didn’t come here to fight. I thought…I thought you might be…struggling.”

“You think? Fucking gods, Vegeta, you idiot, my partner of fifteen plus years is in a coma because of the baby I put in him. Earlier, dealing with you was fine, because I needed a distraction. I don’t need one now. I need to be with him. I don’t want to deal with your weird bullshit with him. How do you still have weird bullshit? That was all a really long time ago, Vegeta. You and Bulma have been together so long.”

“I don’t have weird bullshit! He’s…he’s just…he’s my only real _friend_ , you asshole. I’m not great at making friends, as you may have surmised. And I hate everyone I meet anyway. But not him. I’ve never hated him, and he’s never hated me,” Vegeta said and ran a tender hand over Piccolo’s clammy forehead.

“Not for lack of trying,” Nail grumbled.

“He’s never tried to hate me or he would have succeeded.”

Nail laughed and said, “I meant not for lack of _you_ trying to make him hate you.”

Vegeta let out a growling chuckle. “Well, yes, there has been plenty of that. Have you tried _peluwsa_ again?”

“No, he went completely silent earlier and it was terrifying. I don’t know…I don’t know if I can handle it, that deathly quiet.”

Vegeta swallowed hard. He said, “I…May I? Try?”

“I don’t know, Vegeta, I don’t think stressing him out is a good idea.”

“I promise I’ll be good,” Vegeta said with wide eyes.

Nail sighed. “Okay, for just a few minutes though, and nothing even a little upsetting or I’ll kill you. And you’ll never hold Nico again. Here, give him back to me while you do that.”

Vegeta reluctantly handed Nico back to Nail and sat on the edge of the bed near Piccolo’s big shoulder and bent down as though he was going to kiss Piccolo, but he shifted his head at the last minute so their foreheads pressed together. Nail was surprised how jealous even that act made him, though _peluwsa_ was often done between friends. Nail wondered if Vegeta still missed Piccolo in that way.

Nail’s irritation and jealousy increased as Vegeta’s hand came up to hold Piccolo’s face. He tried to be patient and sane, tried not to feel like at any moment Vegeta would kiss Piccolo, but it was a challenge. Vegeta was having his turnabout and he didn’t even know it. But it also gave him hope that Vegeta was still not present in the same world as Nail, that he was somewhere in Piccolo’s mind. Hopefully a mind that wasn’t filled with ringing silence.

Vegeta sat up straight after a long time and looked at Nail with worried eyes. Nail collapsed on the bed next to Vegeta and sobbed. Vegeta wrapped an arm around Nail’s shoulders and said, “Shut up, for fuck’s sake. He’s still in there, but he’s…tired.”

“What did he say?”

“He didn’t say anything, I could just feel him. He’s struggling against his whole body trying to shut down. He’s trying to come back to you, gods only know why. I’d see death as sparing me from your fucking company.”

“You’re such a fucking prick, Vegeta.”

“I know, it’s why he loves me.”

“He doesn’t love you,” Nail said with a snort.

“He does too,” Vegeta snarled but added, “Not like you, of course. You’re everywhere in there, the only thing that’s holding him up.”

Another round of tears lurched out of Nail and Vegeta kept his arm around Nail. “Oh, come on, settle down. Fucking hell, if I’d known _you_ were going to cry, I wouldn’t have come. I thought Nico would be the one crying, stuck here all day with you.”

Nail laughed snottily through his crying. “Such an asshole.”

“I can stay, if you like, keep distracting you.”

“That sounded like a sad excuse for a come on, Vegeta.”

“You wish,” Vegeta said and snickered. “You should get some rest. He’ll be weak if does manage to pull out of his death spiral.”

“Fuck. I can’t even imagine my life without him, Vegeta.”

“No, me neither. Don’t knock him up again.”

“He wants a brood. You know that.”

“Then you carry them. No one will miss you.”

Nail punched Vegeta in the shoulder. “He wants to carry them.”

“Then say no. If Bulma can hold the line against me, you can fucking hold the line against Piccolo. He’s like a goddamned kitten compared to that woman.”

“She seriously won’t let you have another?” Nail asked, a little curious. The enormous gap between Bulla and Trunks intrigued both Nail and Piccolo because Vegeta was such a baby hound. He’d rejected Trunks, and Nail and Piccolo suspected it was because the pregnancy was unintended and Vegeta had tried for a solid year after his birth to win Piccolo back. Piccolo held firm and told Vegeta to go be with the woman who wanted to be his mate instead of harassing the Namek who did _not_ want to be his mate.

Vegeta looked forlorn. He sighed and said, “She said she’s too old. Bulla’s pregnancy was hard on her. Fucking humans.”

“Why don’t you young her up a bit with the dragon balls?”

Vegeta arched an eyebrow at him. “That’s actually a pretty good idea. The woman is vain as hell, she might go for it.”

“Why didn’t you have any between Trunks and Bulla? Please tell me you weren’t still holding out hope?”

“No, I wasn’t. I love the woman, she’s fantastic. She didn’t trust me to stick around. I never…I never really told her why I left after Trunks was born. But she still thinks I had some sort of responsibility crisis,” Vegeta said and slumped, holding his hands in his lap. “Did…did he really not want me or was that you?”

“He really didn’t want you, buddy. I mean, I didn’t help anything, and it probably didn’t help your case that you did enjoy fucking me—“ Vegeta made as if to interrupt, but Nail waved a hand at him, “You don’t have to pretend, we’re the only two here, Vegeta. I liked fucking you too, I mean, I mostly pretended you were Piccolo, but you’re a pretty good lay.”

“Gods, you’re so fucking vulgar! I didn’t know, at the beginning, that you were…watching. It pissed me off. Then I knew you were keeping him from me.”

“Oh yeah, I one-hundred-percent tried to cock-block you every single time. I wanted him for myself, Vegeta, and at the time, I thought I’d never have my own body again. It was hard to know he might mate with someone else.”

“That was never _really_ a possibility.”

“No, I mean, unless you’d decided to stop being a huge asshole, but…”

Vegeta gave a soft chuff of laughter. “Yes, well, we’ve all seen how that worked out.”

Nail was surprised that Vegeta stayed on. He passed Nico to Nail when Nico fussed, Nail fed his son, and Vegeta demanded him back. It was the middle of the night when Vegeta said, “Get some fucking sleep. I’ll hold the baby and wake you if anything changes with Piccolo. Go on, I won’t murder you. I want to do that when you’re awake so I can enjoy it.”

Nail laughed, but he was exhausted, so he snuggled alongside Piccolo. He hoped that the next time he woke up, his mate would wake too, and this would all seem like a nightmare. Nail closed his eyes and used the skill he developed living inside Piccolo while he was oblivious to the fact that Nail loved him, and turned off his mind like a switch.


	9. Fever

Piccolo woke desperate for water. But the moment he took stock of himself, he no longer cared if he got water. He wanted to die. Tears slid out of his eyes and he tried to remember what the fuck had happened that led to this. Led to him losing the best part of himself. His Nail.

His brain was filled with pain and hazy terror. Of what he couldn’t dredge up. Maybe he was just terrified of this new type of life. This new awful, miserable, empty, lonely, painful life. What had happened? Piccolo opened his eyes and the light was painfully bright. He realized with a jolt that Vegeta was there. 

Why was Vegeta in his fucking bedroom? He and Vegeta hadn’t fucked in years. Had he fucked Vegeta in his grief over losing Nail? Did Vegeta knock him out while they were fucking? It wouldn’t be the first time. “Vegeta?” Piccolo croaked, already angry that Vegeta must’ve convinced him to fuck and then given him a concussion.

Piccolo sat up. “Holy shit, more than a concussion! What'd you do to me? Bulma is gonna kill me,” Piccolo groaned, clasping his head between his hands, but quickly putting one on his crotch. Fuck, had Vegeta fucked his _theadur_? That was not good. He did not want to be mated to his crazy fucking _married_ friend.

Vegeta startled awake from the chair he was slumped in and shouted, “Godsdamnit, Namek! You can’t do shit like this! Do you know how fucking scared I was? It’s shameful for a Saiyan to feel fear!” 

Piccolo covered his sensitive ears. “Shut the fuck up, Vegeta! What are you yelling at me for? Did you drug me or just brain me? What did you do to my fucking sheath, it feels like it took a battering ram instead of your cock.”

Vegeta’s eyes went wide in the second before Piccolo was knocked out over by someone slamming into his body, hugging him tightly and sobbing. Fucking Vegeta not only fucked his sheath and gave him an amnesia-inducing concussion, but brought in a third. The hug was followed by kisses all over Piccolo’s face. But before he could determine who was kissing him, an alarming sound filled the room. A strange, growling cry with a little puff of chi. Had Vegeta brought Bulla? Fucking hell, Piccolo wasn’t sure he wanted to remember whatever had transpired.

Death was certainly preferable to waking up with Nail lost forever, mated to Vegeta, possibly with a third, and maybe a child as witness to the clusterfuck. Bulla never cried like this though. This sounded like an infant. Piccolo ached for Nail’s comforting teasing. Had Vegeta bashed Piccolo’s head so hard that he killed the part of him that housed Nail? That didn’t make sense. They had taken some vicious hits together and never had anything like this happen.

The room was so bright when he tried to open his eyes again to see who the hell was kissing him. Kissing his mouth! Mumbling words Piccolo didn’t understand. Piccolo blinked and blinked until the world started to focus. Gods his head felt like Cell had exploded in it. But what Piccolo saw once he got his eyes open made no sense. He reached up and touched the face kissing his. It was a real, live, flesh and blood face.

Piccolo whispered, “Nail? What? I…how? How are you here?” Piccolo nearly wept with relief to see his best friend was at least alive, if no longer a part of Piccolo.

“I never left your side, _uliaia_ , never. Oh gods, how do you feel? I thought I’d lost you.”

“I thought I’d lost you too. Are you…are you real? Am I just fucked up from a bad blow to the head?”

Nail paused and his brows crashed together. “What? You didn’t hit your head, _uliaia_ , you had a fever and got really sick, but no head injuries. I knew you’d come back to me.”

Piccolo turned to Vegeta and said, “What’d you do to my sheath, you bastard? I feel awful!”

Nail screeched, “You did something to his sheath? What the fuck, Vegeta?! Not cool, you pervert! He was unconscious!”

Vegeta held up his hands as Nail went after him. Nail was in tight, skimpy boxer-briefs. Piccolo didn’t mind the view but he realized that perhaps Vegeta had wished Nail free from Piccolo so Nail wouldn’t cock-block him anymore. They fought viciously on the floor, Nail pinned Vegeta and got several good punches in, but Piccolo lost interest in the fight. He wanted to know whose child was crying nonstop in his bedroom. Piccolo glanced down and saw nectar dripping from both nipples. “What the hell?”

He squinted into the light because the crying was coming from near the window. Piccolo hauled himself out of bed, wincing with every movement, and his head swam. There was a fucking bassinet in his bedroom. He stumbled toward it and looked down at the angry tenant. Piccolo dropped to the ground like his bones dissolved. The baby was an adorable little _Namekian_ baby. Piccolo’s breathing went crazy.

The tussle behind him finally ended as Vegeta clobbered Nail, sending him skidding next to Piccolo. Piccolo still had no fucking clue how Nail was even _here_. He turned to Vegeta, “Don’t beat up Nail, Vegeta! What the fuck is going on? Whose fucking baby is this? I want some godsdamned answers. My head feels like it’s full of angry wasps.”

Nail’s mouth fell open as he stared at Piccolo. Piccolo snarled, “Look, I don’t know how you’re here, if you and Vegeta coordinated a three-way or what, but is it…is it permanent? Like you wanted to leave me forever?”

Vegeta plopped down next to Nail and breathed, “Oh fuck, Nail. That explains why he said that. I swear to you I didn’t touch him after the _peluwsa_ last night other than to check his fever.”

“Fever? Nameks don’t get fevers. I’m not some delicate lady from a Jane Austen novel,” Piccolo grumbled.

Nail’s eyes filled with tears. Piccolo felt terrible. He didn’t want Nail to cry. He loved Nail. Nail obviously didn’t feel the same or he wouldn’t have left Piccolo. “You…Piccolo…you did have a fever. A really high one. We didn’t know what to do.”

“So you un-merged somehow and had a three-way with me? Pretty fucked up to do with someone who’s sick enough they can’t even remember the next morning.”

Vegeta’s eyes filled with more concern than Piccolo had ever seen and he said, “Piccolo…what’s the last thing you do remember?” Vegeta cast a worried glance at Nail, who met his eyes and covered his mouth with his hand. More tears spilled down Nail’s cheeks.

Piccolo thought hard and then it hit him, the reason Nail was leaving him. “Oh. I…Well. Yeah. Okay. Sorry, Nail. I knew I shouldn’t have gone to New Namek, but you don’t have to do this,” Piccolo felt his own tears welling as he choked on his words, “You don’t have to leave me.”

Nail said, “You don’t remember anything after you flirted with Scythe on New Namek?”

“I wouldn’t say I _flirted_ —“

Nail interrupted him, “Not arguing about this again—“

Piccolo cut him off, “What do you mean ‘again?’”

Vegeta said, “Piccolo…you’re…you’re maybe having a little amnesia.”

“Yeah, which is why I assumed that you’d bashed me over the head. Why were we even doing it? Just because Nail has his body back? What will Bulma say?”

“I didn’t fuck you! I was just here helping with the baby while you were sick. Nail is exhausted. It’s been several days,” Vegeta said, his eyes still searching Piccolo’s.

Piccolo digested what his bodily best friend was saying while sitting next to his best-best friend who now existed in bodily form. Piccolo couldn’t keep his eyes off Nail’s body in those tiny little shorts. Piccolo never considered how he’d respond to Nail’s physical body. He swallowed hard. “So…it’s…Nail’s baby?”

Nail sobbed into his hands. Piccolo hugged him and said, “Hey, I’m sorry, not your baby, then? Whose baby is it? Why are you two being so fucking cryptic!”

Nail choked out, “You don’t remember? _Nothing_ after New Namek?”

Piccolo searched his mind, wanting to turn up something that would explain Nail’s despair. But there was just a blank. He assumed it was a few days earlier, but maybe something else had happened. “I…Did…Did I get sick on New Namek and that’s why I can’t remember? Is it some weird Namekian thing that I don’t have immunity to because I didn’t grow up there?”

Nail and Vegeta snorted out a laugh in unison. Nail said, “I guess so, in a manner of speaking. Fuck. Vegeta, can you, um, hold on, I better feed Nico, but then can you take him for a little so I can,” Nail paused as a sob shook his body, “so I can bring Piccolo up to speed.”

Vegeta nodded solemnly and muttered, “Yes, of course.”

Piccolo gawked as Nail pulled the adorable baby out of the bassinet and pressed him to his nipple like it was the most natural thing in the world. Piccolo thought he figured it out, Nail must have somehow wished himself free of Piccolo and wished to have a baby. Dende’s dragon balls granted two wishes. How had Nail gathered them, though? Maybe that was how Vegeta came into the story.

Piccolo touched the baby’s toes and fingers. The baby wrapped its tiny hand around Piccolo’s finger and squeezed. He smiled and said, “Look at the grip on you, little one. You’re going to be strong.”

Nail wept the whole time he nursed the baby. Piccolo wanted to comfort him, but didn’t know how. Especially since there was no denying how sexually attracted to Nail he was and the hug had already had an embarrassing effect on him. Thankfully the sheet was tangled around his waist because he was naked underneath. His _theadur_ pulsated with pain and his whole lower abdomen felt scraped raw, like it had been turned inside out.

The baby finished and settled into Nail’s arms to sleep. He said, “I’ll be back, just a second,” and hopped up. He chatted quietly with Vegeta in Piccolo’s living room and then came back and closed the door behind himself.

Piccolo clambered back up on the bed, his head pounding. He leaned back against the headboard. “So I finally pissed you off enough that you tried for freedom, huh?”

“No, Piccolo. Not that. Nothing else is coming back to you?”

Piccolo shook his head. Nail looked destroyed by this information. Nail sighed heavily and said, “I did wish myself out of you, but I did that over six months ago. And we mated. And you gave birth four days ago. And then got really sick from some complications from birth. Because warriors aren’t supposed to mate.”

Piccolo’s jaw fell open for a minute and then he grinned. “So…you and I…we’re…we’re mates?” Nail nodded, looking forlorn. Piccolo’s grin faltered. “Do…do you not want to be mated to me?”

Nail’s eyes snapped up and he gave Piccolo the sexiest half smile Piccolo had ever seen. “You dumbass, _uliaia_ , of course I want to be mated to you. I just wish you remembered the last six months. I wish you remembered our fucking baby. His name’s Nico. Isn’t he adorable?”

Piccolo said, feeling absurdly shy if what Nail said was true, “Yeah, he’s perfect. So…wow. Okay. So…so…I…um…”

Nail crawled into Piccolo’s lap, cupped his jaw in his hand, and kissed him deeply. Piccolo moaned. He supposed if they were mated, Nail wouldn’t mind if he moaned like they were fucking. He’d wanted to kiss Nail forever. It was such a relief to know that Nail wasn’t going to leave him, that he hadn’t done something catastrophic with Vegeta, and that he was a father, at last.

Nail slid his arms around Piccolo and clung to him. He buried his face in Piccolo’s neck and cried. “Fuck, I’m so glad you’re alive. Everyone thought you were going to die. Everyone except me and Vegeta. Gods he’s intolerable. I’m glad you’re awake so I can kick him out.”

“Wait,” Piccolo said, suddenly putting pieces together, “How is Nico here if I gave birth four days ago? Did he hatch early?”

“Oh, yeah, right. Wow, it’s weird to have you remember absolutely nothing. Warriors can’t mate on New Namek, and Dende didn’t know why, but it’s all taboo and mysterious, but now we know why. Although it’s maybe because you’re Demon Clan, but either way, you gave birth. You didn’t lay an egg, _uliaia_. You pushed out a kicking, screaming baby. Nameks don’t know how good they have it having a little break between birth and baby. He’s a good baby, but fuck am I tired. You asshole, ditching me the second he’s born,” Nail said, grabbing Piccolo’s chin and kissing him more.

Piccolo wrapped his tired, achey arms around Nail and whispered, “Seems like I did most of the work for the past six months. And I’ll trade tired for whatever hell is going on in my fucking sheath and womb. I feel like shit.” Nail explained more medical stuff to him, but mostly they held each other and kissed and Piccolo tried to come to terms with this new, startling reality. The way Nail told him the details, it sounded like he didn’t take much time to adjust when Nail first wished himself free, so hopefully the same would happen now.

If nothing else, Piccolo had always been at ease with Nail. That wasn’t it. Piccolo just wanted to take away his mate’s lingering sadness that Piccolo clearly lost a lot of what Nail considered precious memories. And Piccolo wanted them too, but it was harder to miss something you didn’t have. He said softly, “Should we tell Vegeta to get the fuck out and we can take our baby back before he absconds?”

“Yeah, seriously. He is baby-crazy.”

“Well, he thought he was going to have a whole passel of green babies with furry tails, remember?”

“Not really though. He…you wouldn’t have, would you?”

“No, probably not. I mean…maybe if I’d never known you, but I was well and truly in secret love with you by the time Vegeta decided to ask, and part of me knew I could never really bond with him because of you. I was just too embarrassed to tell you since you were stuck with me. It would have been awful if you were put off or hated me.”

“ _Uliaia_ , you scared the ever-loving shit out of me the past few days. I can’t believe you put me through this. We’re not having any more,” Nail said.

Piccolo’s heart filled with ice. He frowned and said, “Yes we are, we know what to do next time. There’s no way I’m stopping after one. Come on, you can’t seriously think this will happen again?”

“Uh, yeah, I definitely can, and it was awful, Piccolo. You don’t know what it was like, watching you struggle with death and not be able to do a single fucking thing.”

“But, you said that the doctor thought as long as I expelled the afterbirth right away, it wouldn’t happen again, right?”

“Look, Piccolo, can we talk about this when you’re more than half an hour out of a coma and we don’t have a newborn? We don’t have to decide right now. We can decide later. I imagine you don’t want my prick anywhere near your sheath for a little while anyway, right?”

Piccolo chuckled and said, “Yeah, that’s true. Alright, go get Nico and tell Vegeta to get the fuck out.”

“Be nice, he was actually really helpful after we got past our initial bickering about whether he knew I was there or not back when we were fucking him.”

“He tried to claim he didn’t know?” Piccolo said, chortling, but a heavy blanket of exhaustion settled on him.

“Right? He’s so full of shit,” Nail said and went to the door. “Thanks, Vegeta, I can take Nico now and you can head home and get some rest.”

“What? I want to see him. I want to talk to him, for fuck’s sake. I sat vigil for four godsdamned days, can’t I at least look my only friend in the eye now that he knows the horrible life he’s gotten himself into?”

Nail elbowed Vegeta in the side after he passed off Nico and said, “You know, Vegeta, you have two friends now. You’re a fucking social butterfly.”

“Who besides the big, green bastard is my friend?” Vegeta said with a little snort.

“The slightly smaller, green bastard, you idiot. Me. I’m your friend, right? We’ve certainly fucked enough to be friends,” Nail said, trying to rile Vegeta up for Piccolo’s amusement.

“Yes, did you tell him that you kept me away from him on purpose? Cock thief, is what you are. Not even a cock-blocker, just a straight up stealer of fine cock,” Vegeta said with a little smirk, “But I’ll take your offer of friendship under consideration.”

Piccolo laughed and said, “Stop being such a dick, Vegeta, you know you love Nail.”

“Oh good gods, you two were barely tolerable as one being, but separate with two mouths between you, you’re fucking insufferable. Now, are you well enough that I can entrust you to this fool?” Vegeta asked Piccolo, his dark eyes intense.

Piccolo nodded and said, “Two fools, one fool, it all seems about the same from a care-taking perspective. Give my best to Bulma. You know if you really want another baby you should just see if you can wish ten years off her or something. I know she’s old, but I bet she’d go for that.”

“You two, once I get her young and knocked up, I’m telling her that it was you two that led to her downfall. You still think the same, even if you have two bodies to spread your meager brains between,” Vegeta said. He surprised Piccolo when he bent over him and gave him a hug. He muttered something in Saiyan and pulled away, never meeting Piccolo’s eye. He gave Nico a thorough head-snuffling and a kiss, and fled.

Piccolo turned to Nail and said, “Well, can I hold my son for the first time I’ll remember?”


	10. Recovery

Piccolo’s recovery was tedious. Dende couldn't heal him. Dende also didn’t know why his body wasn’t regenerating in the way Namek bodies normally did, but it didn’t. Weeks passed and Piccolo was still sore. Less weak by the day, but only through a concerted effort to train. Nail griped that he was pushing himself too hard and he was going to end up in another coma, but Piccolo didn’t like being so helpless. And so tired.

Nail and Piccolo were able to train together a little when Vegeta would babysit Nico. To Piccolo and Nail’s chagrin, their son seemed to love Vegeta, while squalling constantly with any other non-parent caregivers.

Nail quipped one day when Nico fussed about leaving Vegeta, “Fuck, it looks like Vegeta got his wish to have a baby with us.” Nail felt awful when Piccolo burst into tears. He still felt physically shitty, but he hated that for all he knew, Nico was Vegeta’s baby. Piccolo hated not remembering when he and Nail had created Nico. It broke Piccolo’s heart.

Piccolo felt guilty whenever Nail had to tell him about something they’d done in the six months of his life he’d lost to the fever. Nail was always teasing and sweet about it, but Piccolo hated that it was just gone. It had been almost two months since he’d woken up with that part of his life missing, and not a minute of the time since Nail un-merged had returned to Piccolo.

Piccolo got home from training that day with Vegeta to hear the sweet sound of his son with his mate, cooing at each other. Nico had started speaking after only a month.

“Dada come home?”

“He should be home soon, my sweet babu, isn’t your Papa enough for you?”

“Veggie come home?”

“Nico, no. Veggie doesn’t live with Dada and Papa, you know that. He’s just your uncle of sorts.”

“No Veggie today?”

“No Veggie. Dada will be home soon.”

“Dada give Nico snuggles?”

“Yeah, of course, babu. Maybe if I’m lucky he’ll give me snuggles too, huh?”

Nico giggled. Piccolo finished taking off his weighted gear and his shoes. He snuck in to watch them for a moment. Nail was on his back on the floor of their living room. He had his legs straight up, his feet flat, and Nico balanced, laying on his tummy, on Nail’s bare feet. Nail bent his knees and flexed his feet until Nico was right over his face. He made silly faces and then straightened his legs fast. Nico giggled again and stuffed a scabby fist in his mouth. His fangs were coming in but he still chewed on his hand like he had before he had little needles in his mouth.

Nico saw Piccolo and launched off Nail’s feet, scampering over to Piccolo and clambering up his legs to wrap around Piccolo’s neck. Piccolo kissed his son’s face. It was strange how instinctual his love of his son was. He took one good whiff of Nico’s scalp and even though Piccolo didn’t remember making him or bearing him, he knew Nico was his. Knew he would protect Nico with his life.

Nail flipped up onto his feet and Piccolo’s heart thundered as his mate swaggered over to him, the impish grin on his face making Piccolo’s belly heat. Nail’s patience with Piccolo warmed Piccolo’s heart, too. They hadn’t had sex yet since Piccolo emerged confused from his coma. Nail told Piccolo about what they’d done, all the great sex they’d had, that wasn’t the issue.

Piccolo wanted to go back to fucking Nail like crazy. He’d been waiting forever for that. But everything south of Piccolo’s navel was still sore. He and Nail had made out, some heavy petting. Piccolo had gone down on Nail a lot, but he steered Nail away from his prick, his ass, his _theadur_ , whenever Nail tried to return any favor. It broke his heart to do so, but Piccolo knew it would hurt and he knew that would upset Nail. Piccolo tried jacking off a few weeks earlier and when he came the muscle spasms made his _theadur_ scream with agony.

Unfortunately the lingering pain meant that Piccolo now felt a vague nervousness about being around his mate in the evenings. He loved Nail so deeply, and he hungered for him too, but he hated the defeated look in Nail’s eyes whenever Piccolo had to rebuff his advances. Nail said he understood, of course. Teased Piccolo about his concerns, as was Nail’s way of dealing with almost everything.

Nail wrapped his arms around Piccolo’s waist and tipped his head back to kiss Piccolo. “Hey, _uliaia_ , you have a good day with the baby-maniac?”

“Not too bad. I feel like I’m at least getting some of my speed back, if not my strength. He bitched all day that he would rather babysit than waste his time training with me, of course.”

“Of course. What’s a day with Vegeta that isn’t filled with complaints about not caring for a child that isn’t his?” Nail said and kissed Piccolo again. His eyebrows came together. He took Nico off Piccolo and said to Nico, “Can you go get your jammies on, babu?”

“Then stories with Dada?” Nico said.

“Yeah, of course, little kiwi,” Piccolo said. Nico ran into his bedroom.

Nail held Piccolo’s face and said, “You look like you dread coming home the past few days? What’s going on?”

Piccolo slumped and buried his face in Nail’s neck. “Do you have to know me so fucking well? It’s a pain in my ass.”

“Yeah? Well, then we’re even, my emotionally constipated mate. Gods, between you and Vegeta, I’m basically a licensed therapist. What’s going on?”

“I feel…awkward…about my continued…you know…inability to…to do stuff,” Piccolo said, unable to look in Nail’s eyes.

“Piccolo,” Nail said in a stern tone and pushed Piccolo up to look in his eyes. “You pushed a fucking live baby out of your body that was not made to push out a baby two months ago. You had impromptu surgery to deal with whatever the fuck happened after you gave birth to our perfect fucking child. Please don’t be impatient with your body. I’m not. I know you keep thinking that I’m dissatisfied, but I’m not. I like to offer so you know I want you, but I can stop. Do you want me to stop and you can just tell me when you feel up to trying again? And you don’t need to do stuff to me—“

“Nail…no. I…I just…I just want to be normal. I just want to be able to fuck you. To get fucked. Gods, I’d be happy with some frotting at this point. I hate that I have to keep shooting you down. But I’m also…I’m just horny, but…nothing is feeling good.”

Nail’s eyes were soft, and he gave Piccolo another deep kiss. He said, “I mean what if…what if you let me…let me do something that would feel nice but wouldn’t make you come?”

“Like what? Seeing your stupid, sexy half-smile damn near makes me come, baby.”

Nico’s return interrupted their conversation. Piccolo settled in to read with Nico and Nail made them dinner. Nico’s development was much faster than a human baby’s, but the upside of that was that he slept a lot, even compared to a human baby. He was basically an adorable, talking house-cat that needed diapers. No wonder Vegeta enjoyed taking care of him. Compared to Saiyan babies, Nico was a mellow, easy, enjoyable child.

Nico dozed as Piccolo finished his last story. Piccolo let his son nurse half-asleep and then tucked him in his crib. Everything with Piccolo’s fever and subsequent glacial recovery made Nail paranoid about Piccolo getting enough sleep. Which was fair. Piccolo was constantly tired. He wondered if he just slept for a couple weeks straight if his nethers would heal up and his memory would come back.

Piccolo emerged from Nico’s room to Nail waiting with a glass of wine. They rarely drank, especially since they were still both nursing. Nail raised an eyebrow and said, “I want you to trust me. I know that’s hard for you, but do it. Bottoms up, _uliaia_.”

“You mean like you want me on all fours?” Piccolo said, trying to keep a straight face.

Nail flared a nostril and tugged Piccolo’s chin down to kiss his mouth. He growled, “Do you have to be such a fucking smart-ass?”

“I learned it from you, baby. You reap what you sow.”

Nail’s smile and the way his eyelids fell as they kissed made Piccolo’s lower belly clench in anticipation. Piccolo realized that it didn’t hurt. Normally even being very turned on hurt. It encouraged Piccolo. Gave him a little hope. A breath of courage. Nail took a sip from Piccolo’s wine glass and purred, “You better drink it or I’ll just get wasted.”

“You’re not gonna get drunk with me, baby?”

“Not tonight, _uliaia_. Tonight, I have a plan. So drink up. Dinner in ten. Nico go down okay? Can you believe the little shit asked if Veggie was coming home?”

“Absolutely. Vegeta is one-hundred-percent brainwashing our child to eventually steal him.”

“I know, but I thought our son would be able to outwit the tiny asshole.”

“Well, give him time. So what’s your plan?”

“No appreciation for the lead-up, Piccolo. Settle down. Let’s eat first.”

Piccolo struggled not to scarf his food down like a Saiyan just to see what Nail’s plan was. Nail filled Piccolo’s wine glass multiple times. Piccolo, before the meal was out, was drunk. Piccolo drank so rarely that it didn’t take much. Nameks and Saiyans were no good at processing alcohol, so despite Piccolo’s size and Vegeta’s density, they were both cheap dates.

“Nail…now can I know what you’re doing besides getting me drunk?” Piccolo said, managing not to slur as Nail carried him bridal style into their living room.

“Not yet, my sweet, drunk mate. I love when you get drunk. You’re just so cute.”

“You don’t think I’m cute all the time? I thought you loved me?” Piccolo teased.

Nail laughed and kissed Piccolo as he laid Piccolo down in front of their fireplace. It was getting cold at night now, so Nail got a fire going and said, “I do think you’re cute all the time and I do love you, so no maudlin, sad drunk Piccolo tonight, understand?”

“You’re not the boss of me, baby. Remember? I captained the ship most of the time.”

“You just keep telling yourself that, _uliaia_ , and maybe someday it’ll be true. You haven’t even captained your ship since I got my own ship. I’m a fucking admiral,” Nail said and yanked Piccolo’s pants off.

Piccolo laughed and said, “Mmm…well, Admiral, you hoping I’ll just be drunk enough that I can handle a fucking?”

Nail’s face scrumpled up in disgust. “Yuck, Piccolo, I don’t want you to ‘handle’ me fucking you. I want you to want to fuck me. To feel good. I swear, you are a slow learner despite all the years with my superior intellect trying to train you up. Arms up, love.” Nail peeled Piccolo’s shirt off, leaving him naked.

Nail stripped slowly for Piccolo, and Piccolo felt another shivering throb of pleasure in his belly. It didn’t hurt and Piccolo dared to hope more. Nail laid along Piccolo’s side and cupped Piccolo’s jaw in his hand. “You know, with your amnesia, I get to have more of you. I kind of win, in a way. I get to have your first time with me twice. I like to think of the positives. You fucked me so well, Piccolo. It was incredible.”

Piccolo rolled onto his side and propped himself on his elbow to look into Nail’s eyes. “I’m sorry I don’t remember, baby. I keep expecting it to come back to me, but it hasn’t. Nothing. But…but maybe it will once we can do stuff again. But maybe not.”

Nail said nothing, but kissed Piccolo deeply, letting his hand flutter over Piccolo’s skin. He rested his hand on Piccolo’s ass, but didn’t press their bodies too tightly together. Whatever scraping and digging the surgeon had done in Piccolo’s womb had left lasting injury to his whole pelvic region so even that tended to hurt. It seemed unfair that they couldn’t even frot.

But Piccolo’s breath caught when their dicks slid against one another and no pain followed in the wake of the pressure. Piccolo experimented and rolled his hips toward his mate. He groaned, “Fuck, Nail, oh gods.”

“Yeah? Okay, _uliaia_? Gods, Piccolo, you’re so hot. I can’t believe you’re finally mine. That I get to have you forever.”

Piccolo gasped and slid his hand onto Nail’s hip. He wrapped his long fingers around the firm, round muscle of Nail’s ass and pulled him gently against Piccolo so their dicks could rub together more, but also so Nail’s cock and belly would press against Piccolo’s lower abdomen. He held his breath. There was no pain. Piccolo moaned. His breathing sped up.

Nail rolled Piccolo onto his back and kissed down his abs. He murmured, “You promise you’ll tell me if something’s no good? I won’t make you come if you don’t want, love.”

Piccolo’s body shook he was so excited to maybe have sexual pleasure again. The thought of finally getting to be with Nail the way that they had been in the black void of Piccolo’s memory, made Piccolo’s cock leak pre-cum. Nail’s tongue raced up and down the ribbing on the underside of Piccolo’s cock. “Oh fuck, Nail, oh fuck,” Piccolo gasped out. He braced himself for pain, but no pain came.

Nail swallowed Piccolo’s cock, and the shock of that alone would have been enough, but Nail’s fingertips brushed over the slit entrance to Piccolo’s _theadur_. Piccolo hadn’t even touched himself there more than to bathe. Nail slid a finger inside him and Piccolo prepared for agony, but it felt fine. Felt amazing. Piccolo said, “What…what did you put in the wine?”

“Nothing, why?” Nail asked and slid a second finger smoothly alongside his first.

“Nail…oh gods…because it’s…it’s so good…”

“I knew you had it in you, _uliaia_. I think you’ve maybe just been too tense, lately. That you’re so constantly worried about it that you can’t just let go. Let me touch you. Let me love you,” Nail murmured and took Piccolo’s cock in his mouth again, slowly sliding his mouth up and down Piccolo’s length from root to tip, lapping at his slit.

“I’m scared to come, baby, it hurt last time,” Piccolo said.

“You did it yourself though. You know I’m better at bringing you off,” Nail whispered and kissed down the underside of Piccolo’s cock.

“I’m serious, Nail…”

“I am too. Trust me tonight. Trust me to take care of you.”

“Don’t fuck my sheath, okay? I don’t want to get pregnant again yet,” Piccolo said and the first flash of pain sliced through his pelvis.

Nail crawled back up Piccolo’s body and kissed his lips softly. “That is the opposite of trust, _uliaia_. That is not only distrust, but stupidity. Of course I’m not going to fuck your sheath. I can feel how much you tensed up just thinking about it.”

“Okay, sorry,” Piccolo said and curled up to kiss Nail more. To try to push his fears and anxiety back down.

Nail dodged him and sighed as he sat back on his heels. “Love, that…please don’t apologize for making our baby. For surviving. Have I done something to make you feel so…tenuous?”

Piccolo considered it for a moment. Had Nail done anything? Piccolo slowly shook his head and said, “No…I think it’s just that…just that I feel…left out? Since I can’t remember all the things we’ve done. I want to be yours. I think I’ll just feel more relaxed once we fuck, but then…then I don’t want the first time to suck, either. It’s a vicious cycle of wanting to have that with you, but also wanting it to be incredible.”

Nail shook his head with a little half-smile. He hopped up but said, “Stay there, my mate. You’re mine tonight. If this is what’s been bothering you, we need to get through it. But now I want you to _actually_ trust me.”

Piccolo laced his fingers behind his head and said, “Okay. Have your way with me, baby.”

Nail handed him his topped-off glass of wine. Piccolo raised an eyebrow and Nail gave him a harsh look. Piccolo pushed up on an elbow and sipped at his wine while Nail disappeared. As he came back in the room, lit only by firelight, he said, “Finish your wine and close your eyes, Piccolo.”

Piccolo acquiesced. Nail wrapped something soft around Piccolo’s head as a blindfold and eased Piccolo back down. Nail’s mouth covered Piccolo’s. It started as a gentle kiss, but Nail’s lips were insistent, pushing Piccolo’s mouth open more. His tongue curled into Piccolo’s mouth, tasting him, and twisting against Piccolo’s.

Piccolo was panting by the time Nail kissed down his jaw to his ear. He suckled the lobe and nipped up to the point. Feeling Nail’s fast, heavy breath across his ear made Piccolo’s belly heat all over again. The pain that stirred earlier stayed dormant and Piccolo relaxed more. The latest glass of wine was making him feel like a liquid.

Ice touched his nipple and he gasped. He felt Nail smile against his ear as he traced it over to the other nipple, leaving a cold wet trail. Nail licked down Piccolo’s neck and sucked the iceless nipple hard, grazed it with his fangs. Piccolo gasped, “Oh fuck…”

Nail said nothing, but moved back and forth, swapping his hot mouth with the ice until the whole cube had melted. Piccolo’s belly felt tight and hot and pleasant. He cried out as an ice cube skimmed up the underside of his cock and circled his head and was chased again by Nail’s burning mouth. Nail hummed happily as he took Piccolo’s prick in his mouth. The ice cube was in Nail’s mouth, so the contrast in temperatures happened even faster.

Piccolo panted and trembled as Nail’s mouth and hand combined forces to bob up and down faster, slick and twisting. Nail’s tongue pressed against the ribbing on Piccolo’s cock as the ice finished melting and then it was all warmth and the power of Nail’s expert tongue. His movements were so relentless that Piccolo felt the sudden rise and crest of his climax with no time to think about it. No time to fear it.

Piccolo moaned and bucked up into Nail’s eager mouth and cried, “Nail! Oh fuck!” Piccolo breathed hard and fast, waiting for the painful, tearing spasm that had accompanied his last orgasm. But it never arrived. Instead Nail’s mouth pulled a long, powerful aftershock out of Piccolo. Piccolo whimpered.

Nail pulled off his cock and said, “How was that, _uliaia_? Sheath okay?” Nail breathed hard and his voice sounded worried. Piccolo wondered if Nail was nervous too.

Piccolo nodded. Nail kissed him and Piccolo tasted himself on Nail’s tongue. Piccolo whispered, “Thanks, baby, can I see you?”

“No, I’m not done with you yet, _atheanna_ ,” Nail said.

Piccolo squeaked as ice pressed against his _theadur_. It felt so intense that Piccolo needed a moment to decide if he liked it. Then Nail’s mouth was on him, his tongue inside Piccolo, his tongue pumping into Piccolo hard and fast, tongue-fucking his sheath while holding the ice against the upper edge of the opening, where many of the nerves were concentrated.

“Nail, oh gods, I’m…Oh fuck!” Piccolo’s pleasure soared as Nail’s fingers joined his tongue. Nail wasn’t being gentle or careful or tentative and it felt fucking amazing. Relief swept Piccolo and he arched up blindly toward his mate.

“Come for me, _uliaia,_ yeah? Come on my tongue, my mate,” Nail purred and went back to twisting and thrusting his tongue roughly inside Piccolo.

Piccolo’s terror fought against the ecstasy, but he let himself go. Even though he was blindfolded, he clenched his eyes and his jaw tightly shut in preparation for pain. But when the first wave of muscle spasms rippled down his _theadur_ , all he felt was pleasure. Bliss. Connection from having his mate give him this pleasure for the first time he could remember. Piccolo’s eyes filled with happy tears behind the soft cloth.

Nail groaned against him and whispered, “Gods, Piccolo, I love getting you off so much. I missed this, _uliaia_.”

Piccolo gasped, “Baby,” and paused to shove the blindfold off. He sat up and pulled Nail to his mouth, murmuring against his lips, “I love you. Thank you. Fuck, that was incredible.”

“Yeah?” Nail said with a little worried peak in his eyebrows.

“Yeah, baby. Can I try fucking you?”

“Let’s go easy, Piccolo. I want you to fuck me too, but I don’t want to strain your poor orgasm muscles. We’ll ease back into everything, okay? I love you, that was so hot,” Nail said and smiled as he kissed Piccolo more.

But Piccolo couldn’t stand the space between them anymore, even if Nail didn’t see it. He pulled Nail into his lap. He reached around behind Nail, lube dripping out of his fingertips. He circled his middle finger against Nail’s pucker and Nail pulled out of the kiss. Piccolo whispered, “Your turn to trust me, okay?”

“Piccolo…I don’t want you to overdo it…” Nail said, but his eyelids fluttered down. Piccolo pressed two fingers inside Nail, scissoring them, spreading them to stretch his mate. “Piccolo,” Nail gasped, but his ass bucked back toward Piccolo’s fingers.

Nail’s ass was slick and relaxed, so Piccolo lubed his cock and shifted. Nail moved with him and didn’t protest as Piccolo encouraged him to rise up so Piccolo’s cock could thrust inside him. “I hope I do better this go round than I did my first, first time,” Piccolo said, wishing he hadn’t said it almost immediately. He glanced warily to see if he’d upset Nail.

But Nail’s mouth hung open, his eyes scrunched tightly closed as he eased himself down on Piccolo’s prick. “Piccolo…oh fuck…your dick feels so good in me,” Nail breathed and took all of Piccolo’s length in one slow thrust.

Only once Piccolo plunged up into him a few times did Nail open his eyes and meet Piccolo’s. His eyes searched Piccolo’s. Piccolo kissed him before murmuring, “Your ass is perfect, baby.”

“Still glad you chose me and not that short asshole?” Nail said with a little smirk, rising up and down to take Piccolo’s cock faster, harder.

“Fuck yes, Nail. I wouldn’t change a thing except wishing you out sooner so I could have been fucking you all these years.”

“It’s cute that even after your amnesia you still think you fuck me and not the other way around,” Nail said and nipped Piccolo’s lip before shoving him back so Nail could really pound him.

Something opened up in Piccolo’s mind and a memory bloomed out of it. Nail bound with chi and insisting that he was fucking Piccolo even as Piccolo’s cock slid into him. Piccolo, back in the present, grinned broadly up at his mate riding his cock.

“What are you grinning about, _atheanna_?” Nail said, panting, and threw his head back.

“I remembered something! I remember using chi to restrain you. I remember you saying that. Saying you fucked me, no matter what position you were,” Piccolo said and curled up to kiss Nail savagely. “Maybe the rest will come back too!”

Nail held Piccolo’s face and kissed him more. “I hope so, my mate, but maybe your body is just trying to get you to accept the truth.”

“I don’t care why, as long as I get my memories back,” Piccolo said.

Nail groaned, “I…fuck…I’m so close, Piccolo. Fuck me hard.”

Piccolo gripped Nail’s hips hard and drove up into him. They gasped and cried out together as they came. Nail stared down into Piccolo’s eyes and a few more uncertain fissures opened in Piccolo’s mind. He couldn’t see what was behind them yet, but the hope made him giddy. He sat up and wrapped Nail in his arms. “Didn’t hurt, even a little, baby. I hope you’re ready to get fucked relentlessly the next few days.”

Nail laughed and kissed Piccolo deeply. He said, “At least your personality didn’t change after the coma, love.”

But Piccolo felt something stir in one of the fissures. Something dark and malicious. Piccolo shivered and wrapped tighter around his mate. That was something he could worry about another day. It felt so good to remember something of his first months with his mate. Something from the first day, even. Piccolo felt connected to Nail again, and that mattered to him more than anything else.


	11. Underneath

“What did you say, _uliaia_?” Nail said sleepily as they woke the next morning.

“Hmm?” Piccolo said, coming up from the depths of his dreams. He was covered in sweat even though he was freezing. He wrapped Nail in his arms.

“ _Uliaia,_ you’re burning up!” Nail cried and pressed the back of his hand to Piccolo’s forehead. The fear on his face filled Piccolo with foreboding.

“I’m fine, baby. I’m sure it’s just from being by the fire,” Piccolo said, but he saw, rolling his head, that he was nowhere near the fire. They were in the bedroom. On the bed. Piccolo had no memory of them moving after they made love the night before. But he had had a lot of wine. He told himself that the wine was the culprit, not the renewed fever.

Nail sprang out of bed when Nico cried from his nursery. “I’ll be back in just a minute, love,” he said, tugging on a pair of pants.

Piccolo scooted to the side of the bed and his head swam. The hangover was relentless as he lurched into the bathroom and threw up. Before he could even stand up, he dropped back to his knees heaving until black slime came out of him. What the fuck was _that_? Piccolo flushed in a hurry. He didn’t want Nail to see that or his already anxious mate would freak out.

Piccolo stood, his head exploding with pain. He staggered to the sink and brushed his teeth. He splashed himself with water. He was even more tired than the night before, like he could just slip into sleep forever. He made his way out to see how Nico and Nail were doing, but even that short walk felt like momentous effort.

“Go back to bed, Piccolo, you look terrible,” Nail said, his face scrunching up with fear.

“What? No, I’m just hung over. I need some water, I think. Maybe something with some salt,” Piccolo said, but even as he suggested eating, his stomach threatened to try to expel more of its contents if there was anything left besides more black sludge.

“Piccolo, I’m not kidding, you need to go lie down. I’ll take care of Nico. You’re definitely not training today. I’ll bring you some water. You were being weird last night too, but we can talk about that once Nico goes down for his nap, okay?”

Piccolo said nothing, only got himself a big glass of water, shivering at the memory of the ice cubes Nail slid over his skin the night before. Piccolo didn’t think he’d been weird. He thought his actions were reasonable, considering how drunk he’d been, how nervous about coming and fucking and everything else south of his belly button.

He chugged the water and flopped face down on the bed.

“Why are you saying that?” Nail said.

“What?” Piccolo said, standing in the kitchen again.

“Why did you say that to me?”

“Say what? What the hell? I was just in bed. How’d I get back out here?”

“You were just being really mean to me,” Nail said, his eyes glassy. “Go back to bed and stay there.”

Piccolo went back to bed again, though he had no memory of leaving and saw now that the sun was high in the sky. Piccolo stopped and threw up again on the way. This time Nail heard and came in.

“Fucking hell, Piccolo! What _is_ that?” Nail said, touching Piccolo’s back. Nail’s hand felt cold on his skin.

“Why are your hands so cold, baby?” Piccolo said, slumping and leaning on the toilet seat. Exhaustion draped over him like a heavy, wet blanket. It made it hard to breathe. Hard to see. Hard to hear, even.

“My hands aren’t cold, _uliaia_ , you’re just on fire. Come on. Bulma’s bringing the doctor by and Dende’s coming too. Come lie down. Maybe the fever is making you do what you’ve been doing.”

“What have I been doing? I can’t remember. The last thing I remember is fucking you by the fire. Getting that one memory back. Holding you. Kissing you. The ice cubes. But then nothing. I thought we slept by the fire.”

“You tossed me off in the middle of the night, told me to stay the fuck away from you, and then you stomped into the bedroom, but before I got in there, you were asleep. It was weird as hell, Piccolo. You didn’t even sound like yourself. Your voice was strange. I assumed you were in some kind of drunken waking dream, but then you did it again just now. Do you really not remember what you just said to me? I had to cover Nico’s ears.”

“I thought I was in bed, and then I just heard you ask me why I was talking to you. Nothing between those two things. Not a thing,” Piccolo said, panting for breath. He hurled again, this time it wasn’t just black slime. Black, oily smoke came off the slime.

“Fucking hell! Piccolo that is _not_ normal. What the fuck is that?” Nail said. He brought a cloth over and wiped Piccolo’s chin, but Piccolo could barely hold on to consciousness as he rested on the toilet seat.

“I dunno, baby. So tired. I’m so fucking tired. I’m gonna rest, okay?”

* * *

The sunlight seared Piccolo’s eyes. After a long time blinking so his pupils could adjust, he saw that he had no idea where he was. It was a room he’d never been in, or if he had, he didn’t recognize it anymore with his amnesia.

“Nail?” Piccolo croaked. His throat felt like he’d been gargling with lye.

“Piccolo?” Vegeta said. That was not what Piccolo expected.

“What the fuck are you doing here? Where is here?”

“You’re at the Lookout. You…we needed to bring you here. Nail went to be with Nico. Nico was pretty scared,” Vegeta said, and his face and body screamed of wariness as he came into Piccolo’s view.

“What? Why was Nico scared? Because of the weird shit I was puking up?”

“No, because you attacked Nail. He’s okay, but you hurt him badly. You’re much stronger than he is, Piccolo, what the fuck were you thinking?” Vegeta said. Vegeta sounded indignant and disappointed, but Piccolo had no idea what his friend was talking about.

“I don’t…I don’t remember anything except Nail telling me Bulma and the doctor were coming over. I threw up weird stuff and I was so tired, so I just went to sleep,” Piccolo said, “I didn’t attack him. Why would I attack Nail? I love him!”

“You…you remember none of it? He had to protect Nico, too. You were insane by the time I got there. A mad man. Foaming at the mouth and your eyes, sweet gods, I don’t know what the fuck was going on with your eyes…” Vegeta said and shivered as he trailed off. “I’ve never seen you like that. Your face warped too. It reminded me of something, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“What? I…I attacked _Nico_?”

“We don’t know, you were just…like an animal. Like a caged beast that had been starved too long. You yelled a lot of cruel shit at Nail, but you also just…gibbered a lot. It took me forever to subdue you because Nail didn’t want me to hurt you. He thought you weren’t yourself. You can look me in the eye and say you don’t remember any of your shitty behavior?” Vegeta said, his eyes narrowed skeptically.

Piccolo shook his head slowly and tears burned. He whispered, “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What’s happening to me? I don’t remember any of that at all. I got drunk with Nail the night before, maybe that’s why? Maybe…maybe I’m having a bad reaction? It sucks though because we were finally able to…” Piccolo’s voice died. He shouldn’t be talking to Vegeta about the sex issues he’d been having since giving birth.

“Yes, I know, he told me. He said that you passed out afterwards, but not for long. That you were an asshole, but seemed to return to yourself once you were in the bed. I believe you, you look crushed. What the fuck is going on?”

“I don’t know! It’s freaking me out! I’ve been so tired since I woke up from the coma, and then it was weird because I remembered the single memory with Nail from our first day together, but something else felt like it…I don’t know…broke loose? Like something else…escaped. Like there’s a new thing in my brain. But I can’t see it. I don’t know what’s happening to me, Vegeta. Maybe I just need to sleep for a really long time?”

“You’ve been asleep for several days. How much longer do you think you should sleep?” Vegeta said. Piccolo saw he was serious, not being mean or teasing.

“I…I’ve been asleep for days?”

“Not willingly. Every time you woke you had your crazy eyes, so Dende pushed you back down into sleep. You didn’t seem yourself any of the times you awoke since you attacked Nail and Nico.”

“Is…is Nail okay? I mean, physically? I’m sure he’s all kinds of messed up from me being a scary asshole, especially if I went for our kid. Oh fuck, is _Nico_ okay?”

“Yes, they’re both fine. I got there in time that Nail was able to keep you at bay, but he was wearing out. He was hurt, but nothing that Dende couldn’t remedy in a few seconds. Like I said, even with training with you, you are significantly stronger than him, larger than him, and he didn’t want to hurt you, whereas you seemed quite set on destroying him.”

“What…what was I saying?”

“That he’d been in charge too long and that he was disgusting and that it was time he was put in the ground where he belonged. That you never would have merged if you’d known about him.”

“Oh fucking hell! That’s not true! I loved being with him! Right from the beginning! Seriously, Vegeta, you have to believe me! How do I fix this?”

Vegeta’s eyes widened and he said, “What if…what if it wasn’t merging with Nail that you were talking about?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean…what if…hmm…You know how Nail could take the reins with you sometimes?”

Piccolo laughed and said, “I think you know how Nail could take the reins, Vegeta. You _liked_ it.”

“Will I never live it down that I liked fucking him? Fine, there, I admit it, I enjoyed fucking Nail just as I enjoyed fucking you but I am happy with my wife and you two deserve each other and I dodged a bullet by not mating with your fucked up asses.”

“You’d have to mate with more than our asses, Vegeta,” Piccolo said, smirking. He tried to sit up but found himself restrained by chi binds. Big ones. “Holy shit, was I really that much of an uncontrollable asshole?”

“You tried to rip Dende’s throat out and said the Lookout belonged to you. That you were ruler here,” Vegeta said and cocked his head to the side again, scrutinizing Piccolo. “I…I have a theory, but I don’t know what to do about it.”

“What?”

“What if _Kami_ is taking the reins?”

“Kami? But I don’t even feel him anymore. He merged into me seamlessly, because he was me, you know? I’ve never had any sense that he was even _present_.”

“Yes, that’s what concerns me. What if he’s been huddled, hiding in a corner, biding his time. Or what if he’s angry because perhaps the reason he was never present is because Nail suppressed him? What if Nail knew that Kami would interfere with what the two of you had? Do you care if I ask Nail about it?”

“No, but I don’t think that’s it. I wonder if I have some kind of brain damage from the fever.”

Vegeta laughed and said, “Your brain couldn’t be any more damaged. I’m going to reach out to Nail, can you behave if he comes up here?”

“I think so, but until you told me, I didn’t even know I was misbehaving!”

“Hmm. I think I’m right, but I have no fucking clue what to do about it,” Vegeta said. His eyes slid closed and his brow furrowed. Piccolo could feel the hum of a private telepathic conversation, but he couldn’t make out any of the words.

Piccolo fell asleep again, but this time when he woke, he was in the same spot, pinned to a bed at the Lookout, and not even for a fun reason.

“Nail?”

“Hey, _uliaia_ , how are you?”

“Tired.”

“You just slept another two days. You are tired. Oh, Piccolo, what are we going to do?” Nail said and Piccolo, who was still trying to get his eyes open and adjusted, couldn’t see his mate, but he felt the soft press of Nail’s lips on his forehead. The brush of his fingers over Piccolo’s antennae.

“I don’t know, baby. Did Vegeta tell you his theory?”

“Yeah. I…I don’t know, but it’s possible. But I don’t know what to do about it, you know? How can we get rid of Kami?”

“I guess we could wish him separate like we did with you and kill him for being such an asshole?” Piccolo said.

Nail looked into Piccolo’s eyes and said, “I don’t think so, Piccolo. He’s really meshed in there, even if it is him surfacing, he’s got so many tendrils everywhere in your mind, I don’t know what it would do to you if we wished him out. It might break you.”

“Do…do you think you only love me as merged with Kami?” Piccolo said, tears filling his eyes.

“No, definitely not. He was a dick and I was glad when he just mushed into your consciousness. I didn’t really feel him after Cell. I felt that you were more powerful, but nothing else. Just that.”

“So you don’t think Vegeta is right?” Piccolo asked.

“I don’t know, Piccolo. I just…It was awful. Not that you…I mean…Look, it’s weird, because I know you weren’t yourself, but it still felt a lot like my mate, my fucking _atheanna_ , was trying to kill me and our child. That you hated me. I know you don’t remember, so I’m trying to, I don’t know, let it go, but _I_ remember it. If it was Kami, that would help because I could make sense of it, but unless we can get him out of you, it also means I have to live with that. I have to know that he might surface again at any point. So I almost hope it’s just…illness. That we can just let you sleep for another few days and you’ll be fine,” Nail said and shrugged.

“Nail, I’m so sorry. I wish I…I wish I could have stopped whatever it was. Even if it wasn’t him, or it was, or whatever, I’m just…I’m just really sorry. I’m sorry that I’ve been nothing but a huge pain in your ass since you met me, Nail.”

“Well, _sometimes_ you feel good in my ass, _atheanna_ ,” Nail said with a little lopsided smile. He inched closer to Piccolo and said, “Can I kiss you, _uliaia_?”

“Of course, baby. I’ve missed you,” Piccolo whispered as Nail leaned closer to him. It hurt Piccolo’s heart that he saw reticence and fear in Nail’s eyes, even half-lidded as they were. His lips touched Piccolo’s and this time, Piccolo felt the rise of the dark thing trying to take over, and he fought it. He wrestled it down and opened his mouth hungrily for his mate. The thing in Piccolo’s mind howled and raged, but it didn’t take the reins.

Piccolo couldn’t touch Nail, because he was still restrained, but Nail touched him, one hand spread out on his chest, and one caressed his jaw. Piccolo murmured against his lips, “I love you so much. I felt it try, this time, baby. I felt it try to come for you, and I stopped it. But I can’t see what it is yet. But now that I know what it does, maybe I can fight it.”

Nail stopped kissing him, but pressed his forehead to Piccolo’s. He took a deep breath and Piccolo could sense that he was trying very hard not to cry. “ _Atheanna_. I love you. I want you to be well. I feel like all this is my fault for getting greedy with your _theadur_.”

“I wanted to mate with you, Nail. And I’ll never regret Nico. Never. And I want more. We just…we just have to figure this out. Like the labor stuff. Now we know so when I have another, I won’t get sick. And now that I know there’s this malicious thing in me, I can fight it until it’s gone. Don’t…don’t regret me, please, baby?”

“No, never, Piccolo. Merging with you is still the best choice I ever made.”

“No, un-merging. I’m so glad you’re smarter than I am,” Piccolo said and tilted his chin up to encourage Nail to kiss him again.

Nail obliged and it was hungrier. Nail slowly straddled Piccolo on the soft bed and held Piccolo’s face in both hands. Nail rocked his hips and whispered, “I hate that whatever it is took you from me right when I was finally getting to have _all_ of you again. I missed having all of you. All of you is so fucking amazing.”

“Yeah, likewise, baby. I wish I could fuck you right now, but Mr. Popo would probably catch us.”

Nail’s smirk was pure lust. He kissed down Piccolo’s jawline and nibbled his ear. “Vegeta has Nico for the rest of the afternoon. It might be good practice to fight the dark thing if I fuck you. I bet it will try to surface again if I fuck you while you’re tied up, _uliaia_.”

“We’ll never know unless we try. And gods do I want to try,” Piccolo whispered, he was hard already from just kissing his mate, just imagining his mate riding him while he could do nothing, touch nothing, only watch and feel. Piccolo was surprised to find that the idea turned him on a lot. Piccolo tended toward being a control freak, so it was strange to want to let himself be controlled this way. Nail hopped off the bed and stripped off his shirt.

“Fuck, Nail, you are so godsdamned hot, it’s not fair,” Piccolo breathed.

Nail kicked off his pants and shimmied out of his little boxer-briefs. He tossed the blanket and sheets off Piccolo. Piccolo was naked, which he hadn’t known until that moment. Nail laid down on his body, frotting and grinding their cocks together as they kissed. He snuck one hand down between their bodies, between Piccolo’s legs, which were bound only slightly apart at the top of each thigh, the knee and the ankle. Piccolo must’ve been a huge asshole. He was bound at every joint except his neck. There was even a thick band over his waist.

“Fuck, I must’ve been really fucking crazy.”

“You certainly were. You’re really fucking strong when you’re an asshole,” Nail murmured and kissed Piccolo more. Nail’s fingertips brushed over Piccolo’s slit and Piccolo gasped, unable to move his hips at all with the binds on this upper thighs and waist. Nail grinned against Piccolo’s lips as he said, “Oooo, I kind of like that you’re really completely at my mercy. You can’t do a thing, can you?”

“I really can’t. It’s kind of hot,” Piccolo said, smiling helplessly.

Nail bit Piccolo’s nipples and pushed a single finger inside Piccolo. Piccolo still braced himself for pain, but there was none. “You okay, _atheanna_? Does it feel okay?” Nail asked.

“Yeah, fuck, really good. Oh, gods, it’s going to be crazy to come like this, without being able to move.”

“You think I should make you come, huh?” Nail said and shifted positions to slide another finger alongside his first as he curled down and flicked his tongue out, teasing Piccolo’s prick. Piccolo poured pre-cum in anticipation. “I think I might drag it out, Piccolo. I think I might make myself come first. What do you think about that?”

“I think that I hope you’ll let me watch, baby,” Piccolo gasped as Nail fingered him harder.

“I want to touch my sheath, _uliaia_. I don’t think I can do it so you can watch,” Nail said, casting a mischievous look up at Piccolo as he thrust a third finger into Piccolo’s sheath.

“Straddle me and turn around, baby. If you turn around on all fours and reach back, I can watch. Please? Please, Nail? Did we do that before?”

Nail looked delighted as a big grin spread on his face. He took Piccolo’s head in his mouth and sank down until Piccolo’s cock hit the back of his throat. Piccolo groaned and Nail sucked him harder, but as he did, he slowly spun around so his ass was toward Piccolo.

Piccolo’s cock throbbed seeing Nail like this, open and exposed for him. The dark thing stirred in Piccolo and he stuffed it down, crushing it, and felt it growl and thrash. Piccolo gasped at the relief of having it subdued again. Having his focus back for his mate.

Nail pulled off Piccolo’s cock and Piccolo was glad, he’d been very close to coming. Nail looked back at Piccolo between his thighs. He smirked and Piccolo’s stomach fluttered with love and lust and excitement. Even though they’d been with each other for so many years, seeing Nail’s face was still so completely new that it made Piccolo ache pleasantly. He knew it was one-sided, thanks to mirrors. He said, “You’re so fucking hot, baby. I’m so lucky.”

“Damn right you are, _uliaia_ ,” Nail said, but he smiled more and kissed the tip of Piccolo’s cock and said, “But I am too.”

“You gonna get yourself off for me?” Piccolo said, his breathing speeding up just saying it.

Nail reached between his legs and palmed his cock for a few strokes. He rested his head on Piccolo’s thigh so he could keep fingering Piccolo at the same time. He bit his lower lip and Piccolo could see his fang draw blood. Nail ran his fingers over his own slit. He pulled out of Piccolo’s at the same time and started moving his hands in tandem, so he and Nail would experience the same thing at the same time.

Piccolo said, “You sure you don’t want to sit on my face?”

“I do _want_ to sit on your face, _atheanna_ , but I like to tease you, so you just take what I give you.”

Piccolo gasped as Nail slid his fingers simultaneously into himself and Piccolo. Piccolo moaned and tried to buck his hips toward Nail’s hand. The bindings kept him in place and he saw Nail smile. “I like this, _uliaia_ , I might have to pin you down more often.”

“I like it too, baby, but I want you deeper. I want to watch you with more…”

Nail’s face contorted with pleasure. Piccolo saw that he was trying to resist, but he added another finger to both of them and plunged in and out of both sheaths. Piccolo’s orgasm rose fast and hard, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from his mate’s _theadur_. Nail moaned and gasped against Piccolo’s thigh, his semen spattering Piccolo’s belly as his sheath trembled around his fingers.

Piccolo’s climax slammed into him and he moaned, but before the pleasure even washed through him, he felt the dark thing rise up, taking over in Piccolo’s distraction. He choked out, “Run, Nail, run away!” in the moment before he felt himself stuffed down, trapped again beneath the blackness.


	12. The Dark Thing

Piccolo woke again and fear raced through him. He shouted, “Nail?! Are you okay?! Fuck! Nail?!”

“Hey, hey, _uliaia,_ I’m here. Shhh…I’m here. How are you?”

“You can’t tell me you think I’m wrong after that little fiasco, Nail. We need to get Kami out of him. It’s clear the old bastard blames you for keeping Piccolo in control,” Vegeta said.

Piccolo got his eyes open, though it took a huge effort. “How long did he have me?”

“Only about fifteen minutes and then you passed out for another couple days. You’re going to sleep through your son’s childhood at this rate, Piccolo,” Vegeta said.

“It’s not like I mean to let him do this. It must be taxing or something, or the only way I can regain control is through unconsciousness. I stuffed it down twice while Nail and I…um…”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Piccolo, I know you two have sex. I’ve had sex with both of you. Stop acting like I’m some prudish grandmother. Yes, you had sex and he took the reins while you were coming, according to Nail, but you felt it happen, you warned him?”

“Yeah, did I hurt you, baby? Are you okay?” Piccolo said, meeting Nail’s eyes for the first time this round of consciousness. He was scared he’d see hatred and anger and fear. Instead, Nail’s eyes burned with passion and possession. Piccolo thought maybe Nail was ready to rumble with Kami.

“I’m fine. Dende makes some bitchin’ chi binds. I wonder if he’s been practicing that on someone,” Nail said with a smirk, “I’m glad you warned me. It made it more real that it’s not you. When I listened to the vile shit you spewed as though you were Kami, it all fit. I guess he really believes that I’m the reason he was mushed into oblivion inside you. He said he’s been prisoner in your mind. So I don’t know what that means for getting him out of you.”

“When are the dragon balls going to be ready?”

“Not for a few more months, _uliaia_. Dende said the Namek ones won’t work…which we already knew. So I don’t know what to do. We can’t risk Nico, but we can’t very well keep you chi bound formonths,” Nail said and his eyes were frantic and scared, “And…what if it doesn’t work? Or it hurts you? Breaks your mind?”

“No, I’m too fucking stubborn to let that happen, baby,” Piccolo said.

“Your stubbornness won’t matter if he decides to wreck up the place when you evict him,” Vegeta growled.

“Why wouldn’t he want out? Isn’t that his complaint?” Piccolo said.

“No, he _likes_ your body. We _all_ like your body. He’s just the only one who wants to use it as his personal chariot for murder. The rest of us have other reasons,” Vegeta said with a smirk.

Nail gave Vegeta a lop-sided smile and said, “But only one of us gets to use Piccolo’s body—“

“Wait, two, right? Like I get to run my own body, and Nail gets to fuck my body?”

“Right, _uliaia_ , but I meant Vegeta doesn’t get to fuck you. He’s got that gleam in his eyes,” Nail said, crossing his arms.

“Where is Nico?” Piccolo asked, suddenly worried for his son.

“He’s playing with Dende,” Nail and Vegeta answered in unison.

“Oh, okay. Gods, I’m so sorry, baby. You can just leave me here and come get me once the dragon balls are ready. I’m sorry you’ll have to raise Nico on your own,” Piccolo said, his throat tightening at the thought of missing even more of his baby’s first months. More months without his mate.

“That’s a ridiculous plan, you fool,” Vegeta said and rolled his eyes. “You’ll go home and I’ll spend the night at your house to keep Kami in line when he…surfaces. Dende can teach Nail to use chi binds. But I can subdue you, and Kami is less adept at using your body.”

“Did…did he say how? Why now? It’s been years since I merged, and it’s not like I haven’t gotten drunk before,” Piccolo said.

Nail and Vegeta glanced at each other. Nail said, “Well…he hasn’t been explicit, but it seems like when you were in your coma, even your psyche was weak. He took that time to gather himself back together. But you woke up and he couldn’t take control, even though he was whole. Then…then when I got you drunk and you really let your guard down with the multiple orgasms, he was able to rise up. Then he figured it out, so anytime you aren’t…on guard…he can take over. I’m worried that he’ll get better at stuffing you down. Like I did. But alcohol is definitely a no-go. It makes sense; that’s how I got you down to gather the dragon balls.”

Piccolo nodded and tried to process everything. Vegeta said, “Let’s get you home. I’ll get Dende to release you. His chi binds are unusually powerful. It’s intriguing, mine have never lasted this long without active effort.”

“Well, yeah, but you aren’t omniscient like Dende. Did he have any thoughts about getting Kami out of me?”

“He thinks it will be possible with his dragon balls, but he shares our concerns that Kami will try to destroy you on his way out,” Nail said.

“Did he have any other ideas?”

“No. He tried some magic that Moori suggested, but it didn't work, likely because Kami is clinging to your brain like his life depends on it, since it does.”

“So, we’ll kill him if we can get him out, right?” Piccolo asked.

Vegeta and Nail nodded. Vegeta left to get Dende and Nico. Piccolo met Nail’s eyes and said, “I’m so sorry, Nail. Please…if I endanger you or Nico, just…just have Vegeta end me. It’s not worth it.”

Nail glared and snarled, “Don’t you dare say shit like that. You need to fight him, Piccolo. I mean it. I’ll keep Nico safe and defend myself, but don’t be a fucking pushover.”

“Yeah, I’ll fight him. But…if it comes down to it. You’ll save yourself? Save Nico?”

“Nico, for sure. But Vegeta will handle you if necessary,” Nail said and hooked his fingers into Piccolo’s restrained hand.

The chi binds disappeared and Nail startled. It made Piccolo sad that his mate was that scared of him. Piccolo stretched and eased into a sitting position on the bed. Nail met his eyes and Piccolo said, “Can…can I kiss you?”

Nail didn’t answer, just bent and pressed his mouth to Piccolo’s. It was tame and tender and loving. Piccolo wanted more and wanted to hold his mate in his arms and never let him go, but he wanted to be mindful of all that he’d done to Nail over the past couple weeks. He settled for caressing Nail’s face.

Vegeta and Dende came in with Nico. Dende looked wary. “You all truly think this is a good idea?”

“What other option is there? He’s already been bound for nearly two weeks. It’s untenable. You can hear both Nail and me telepathically. We’ll call if he gets out of hand. But I’m sure Nail will enjoy working on his chi binding and Piccolo beating skills,” Vegeta said with a smirk.

Dende nodded and looked into Piccolo’s eyes. “And you, Piccolo? Are you comfortable with this arrangement until the dragon balls are available to attempt to un-fuse you and Kami?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I don’t want to miss all of Nico’s childhood. Now that I know how it feels when he tries to take over, I’m hoping I can keep him down.”

“Very well. Good luck. I hope that I don’t see any of you until the dragon balls are ready. I’ll think on how to best word the wish to minimize the harm to Piccolo while resolving the problem.”

Nail helped Piccolo dress while Vegeta held Nico and chatted with Dende outside the room. They stepped out, ready to collect Nico and head home. Vegeta reluctantly handed Nico to Nail and said, “I’ll be by after dinner tonight to stay, but call mentally if he starts to go crazy again.”

Nail said, “I will. But he’s not going to let Kami win again. I’ll get the guest room ready, so don’t think you’re just going to slouch your way into a threesome because of all this.” Nail smirked down at Vegeta. Dende turned purple.

Vegeta looked Nail up and down and said, “You’ll be begging me to join you two before the week is out.”

Nail snorted. “I will never beg you for anything, Vegeta.”

“You _have_ begged me, Nail. If we’re going to acknowledge that you and I had sex, then I’m not going to pretend you weren’t wanton and shameless in pleading for my cock!” Vegeta said and Piccolo turned to see how Nail would respond. Piccolo breathed a sigh of relief that Nico was fast asleep and missing out on this little conversation.

Dende said, “I have to be off! Good luck!” and scurried away, still blushing furiously.

Nail snarled, “I’m not sharing my _mate_ with you!”

“He shared his body with you!” Vegeta countered.

“Well I’m not sharing his with you! Bring Bulma over if you need to get laid!” Nail said.

Vegeta’s face morphed through the various phases of rage and irritation that Piccolo was familiar with from years of friendship. After a silent, red-faced moment, he roared, and flew off on his own. Nico woke and said, “Why Veggie leaving?”

Nail smirked at Piccolo and said, “You want to field this one?”

“He had to go home and take care of his own kid, Nico,” Piccolo said and gave Nico’s toes a gentle squeeze. Piccolo never knew toes could be so cute. Or chubby little knees. Or little tiny antennae.

“Dada feels better? Dada not mean anymore?” Nico asked, his eyes wide and innocent as he stared into Piccolo’s.

“I feel better, babu. Did Papa explain what happened?” Piccolo said.

“Papa said mean man used your body?” Nico said and stuffed his torn up hand in his mouth.

Piccolo eased his tiny fist away from his razor-sharp fangs and said, “Hey, your fangs are in, babu, you have to stop chewing your hand. Did Vegeta not bring one of your chew toys?”

Nico immediately began savaging his poor, bloodied hand again. It was fortunate he had Namek healing. With his other hand, he reached for Piccolo. Piccolo met Nail’s eyes and hated that Nail looked reticent and worried. Piccolo understood, but it felt like an icepick in his heart. Nail whispered, “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m me. I’ll give him back if…if I feel weird.”

Nail handed Piccolo their son. Nico wrapped tightly around Piccolo’s neck and Piccolo cuddled his baby. Nico was bigger than when Piccolo first fell prey to Kami. It broke his heart that now he had more missing pieces of his life. Nico nuzzled him and Piccolo felt him furiously gnawing on his fist. “You must be getting more teeth, huh?”

“Mouth hurts, Dada,” Nico said. Piccolo snuggled him in the crook of his elbow and took Nail’s hand with his other. They flew home together, hand in hand. Piccolo’s exhaustion still dogged him, but he was relieved that he didn’t have pain anymore, so at least all his Kami-resisting sleep had perhaps done something good.

* * *

Vegeta’s presence added tension to their already Kami-fraught household over the next few weeks. He helped a lot with Nico, but it wasn’t worth how much Vegeta and Nail bickered. It was all completely pointless and Piccolo, much to his dismay, thought it was probably a result of sexual tension. The two of them had enjoyed fucking each other, whether they admitted it or not.

After the first month, a month in which Nail refused to get Piccolo off for fear it brought Kami up, Piccolo read in bed, waiting for Nail to finish arguing with Vegeta about some minutiae of parenting. Nail fumed silently as he came in, brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed with an unrelenting frown and furrowed brow.

“Baby…” Piccolo said, as Nail slipped into bed beside him, “If…if you guys want to fuck, you can. I understand. You keep saying you’ll wait to fuck me and it doesn’t matter, but…you two both feel like you’re about to explode like a couple of giz-grenades. Just…just go fuck him and get it out of your system, okay? I can even go up to the Lookout for the night if you’d be more comfortable.”

Nail hissed, “I’m not fucking him! He just…he’s loving this! It’s all part of his baby-thieving plan! And…and…and…” The wind seemed to go out of Nail’s sails and he rolled away from Piccolo in bed.

“And what, baby?” Piccolo said softly and kissed Nail’s shoulders as he spooned him.

“I’m not going to cheat on you, Piccolo,” Nail huffed.

“It’s not really cheating if I give you permission,” Piccolo said. He squeezed Nail back against him, getting hard despite himself. “Or…if you want…you could tie me up, like we did up at the Lookout.”

Nail rolled in his arms. He kissed Piccolo and rolled their hips together. “ _Uliaia_ , I don’t want to risk you just because I’m horny.”

“I’ve been blowing you and jerking you off as much as I can, Nail. I don’t think…I don’t think it’s horniness. It’s okay that you have the hots for Vegeta.”

“I do not have the hots for that little, angry man!” Nail protested.

“Okay…then maybe you just want to fuck him to prove a point, but it doesn’t matter why, Nail. I don’t care. I understand. Nico’s in bed. Go blow off some steam or tie me up, but I’m not going to let you flip and flop and sigh through another sleepless night after another blow-job that does nothing for this…tension…you have in you.”

“Piccolo, for fuck’s sake, the tension has nothing to do with fucking Vegeta! Are you that fucking obtuse? Gods. It’s because I’m nervous about Kami coming out, but also trying to figure out what the hell we’re going to do if the dragon balls don’t work. I’m on edge all the fucking time! I…Fuck. I just…” Nail trailed off again and covered his mouth with his hand. He took a few shaky breaths before he continued, “It’s just not fair. I finally get to have you, and everything is going wrong. I waited so long to be with you and now I don’t even get to be with you.”

Piccolo shriveled. It wasn’t that Nail was wrong, but it also hurt him that he wasn’t enough for Nail as he was. He was himself, just with a glitch. A glitch that would go away. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“That isn’t what I meant, _uliaia_. I wouldn’t change getting out of you so I could get _in_ you. I’m just pouting that Kami is such an asshole and that I’m dependent on Vegeta to protect me. He’s lording it over me every chance he gets. I’m not…horny…like that. I’m just horny for you, my mate. I just want things to be like they were the first six months.”

Piccolo’s stomach twisted more. “So tie me up and love me. We can at least use that to tide us over. I’ll do a better job stopping him this time, when I come. Okay? You can ride my cock, right? You still like my cock, right?” Piccolo said, scared to hear Nail’s answer.

Nail’s hand fluttered down Piccolo’s torso and wrapped roughly around his cock. “No. I fucking _love_ your cock, _atheanna._ I want you to fuck my sheath, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“You worried about getting pregnant?”

“No, I mean, yes, but that’s not my main worry. I’m worried that slimy, old asshole will take that from you. I want…I want a first that you’ll remember. A first once you’re well and free from him. So I want to wait. But, yeah, I think it’s making me a little crabby. I’m sorry, _atheanna_ , I know it’s not your fault,” Nail said and kissed Piccolo, his other hand cupping Piccolo’s jaw.

“That’s fine, baby. You want to ride my prick anyway? Not that I don’t love sucking you off, because I really do, but I miss being inside you,” Piccolo murmured, kissing Nail more deeply and gripping his hip so they were frotting more. Nail’s hand held their dicks together. “Or you can fuck me. I miss that too.”

“Fuck, yes, Piccolo. I do…I’m just…I’m scared. It sucked last time when he surfaced. I know it’s not you, but it’s…shitty…to see your face saying all those things to me,” Nail whispered so quietly that Piccolo barely heard.

Piccolo tipped Nail’s face up to look him in the eye. He smirked and said, “Then gag me, baby.”

Nail’s lopsided smile returned and he said, “You’re sure?”

“Yeah. So sure. I’d fuck you through a glory hole in an adamantium box if it meant I got to have you again. I miss you, baby. Thanks for not leaving me bound up at the Lookout. I know I stress you out,” Piccolo said and kissed Nail more.

“Get your kisses while you can, _uliaia_ , then your ass and your cock are mine,” Nail growled and straddled Piccolo as he pushed him onto his back.

Piccolo indulged himself, kissing and kissing and kissing. Memories stirred in Piccolo. A sweaty night spent kissing between bouts of hot sex, Piccolo’s belly big and ripe, Nico kicking. Piccolo could also feel, moving around the edges of the memory, the dark, malignant force of Kami’s will. Piccolo said, “Hey, baby, what if…what if when Kami put himself back together, he stuffed my memories with you somewhere I can’t get to right now. Maybe once he’s out, they’ll come back? I had a little flash of one just now, but I could feel him, like he was trying to take them from me.”

Nail’s hips rocked against him harder. He panted out, “I don’t want to talk about that motherfucker anymore. I want you to fuck me, _uliaia_. Please. Make a gag for yourself and I’ll bind you.”

Piccolo obeyed and a gag filled his mouth. He made it a ball gag, just because he knew it would make Nail laugh. Which it did. “Oh my gods, Piccolo, that looks good in you. We might have to keep it around. Don’t just magic it away.”

Piccolo expected Nail to bind him to the bed, as he had been up at the Lookout, but Nail hoisted him up over his shoulder, slammed him against the wall and flung out his hand, binding Piccolo against the wall in a starfish position, a glowing band of chi at every joint. He cocked his head to the side as Nail kissed up his neck and back down onto his pecs. He smirked up at Piccolo and sucked down his body right onto his cock.

Piccolo moaned around the gag. Nail took him deep, thrusting Piccolo into his throat hard and fast. Nail’s tongue did magical things, twisting around Piccolo’s head with every pull. When Piccolo was on the very brink of coming, Nail took his mouth away, breathing hard as he looked up at Piccolo.

“Fuck, _uliaia,_ I love sucking your dick. But I need you. Make some lube,” Nail commanded and pressed his palm to Piccolo’s. Piccolo obeyed and Nail slicked it over Piccolo’s dick, then adjusted Piccolo’s height on the wall as he turned around.

Piccolo groaned again. Nail bent over, glancing back at Piccolo with a mouthwatering, lopsided smile, and held Piccolo’s cock so he could back up onto it. He teased Piccolo, only dipping his head inside the tight heat of his ass. “Gods, Piccolo, it’s still unreal to me that I get to finally fuck your body instead of fucking with your body. Your prick fits me so perfectly.”

His breathing was heavy and fast as Nail continued to give him only a taste. Nail murmured more, “Fuck, Piccolo, it’s been so long…I think I’ll have to ease into fucking you. I like having you at my mercy, _uliaia_ , but it’ll be so nice to have your hands on me again. I miss that too. I miss the way you used to slap my ass. Do you remember that?” He glanced at Piccolo.

Piccolo’s heart thundered, because even though it was short and sweet, a single crystal clear memory of Nail bent over in the shower, his head hanging and one arm braced against the tile, rose in Piccolo’s mind. Piccolo remembered the firm, perfect texture of Nail’s ass under his hand as he smacked it hard, and then held on and squeezed, his claws biting into the flesh just a little. Piccolo nodded to Nail and felt his eyes fill. It felt so good to remember. It was almost as good as finally being inside his mate.

Nail saw him nod and said, “Really?” Nail’s voice hitched.

Piccolo nodded more furiously. Nail sank Piccolo’s cock all the way inside himself gasping and whimpering with pleasure. He stood up, arching his back deeply and tugged the ball out of Piccolo’s mouth. “Tell me. Tell me, _uliaia._ ”

Piccolo told Nail. Tears spilled down his cheeks but he started pumping on Piccolo’s cock in a mind-blanking way. Piccolo growled, “I love you so much, baby, you feel amazing. I’ll fight, Nail, but gag me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Nail craned over his shoulder and kissed Piccolo as he slammed himself back, unbinding Piccolo’s thighs so he could help Nail and thrust into him more deeply. Nail didn’t release his mouth for anything more than panting breaths. “Warn me, my mate. Warn me if he tries, okay?”

“Yeah, I will,” Piccolo whispered.

“I want to kiss you forever, Piccolo.”

“I want to kiss you too, Nail. Oh fuck, I’m so close, baby, are you close?”

Nail’s eyes met Piccolo’s and Piccolo hated that he looked scared. He murmured, “I’m scared, Piccolo. I’m so scared to lose you.”

“I’ll always find a way back to you, Nail.”

Nail slipped the ball gag up into Piccolo’s mouth and tightened it. He wrapped his arm around Piccolo’s head and they surged together. Nail gasped, “I’m coming, _atheanna_ , come inside me. Please. I need you, Piccolo.”

Piccolo felt Kami’s attack this time, saw it coming and cast him back down where he lurked, waiting and always trying to resurface. Piccolo’s pleasure wasn’t even dampened by the cowardly fool. He pulsed in Nail and panted for breath around the gag as he filled his mate. It was such a relief to climax and maintain control and to not hurt his mate that Piccolo felt his eyes sting again. He tipped his head against Nail’s enough that he could coil one of his antenna around Nail’s.

Nail gave another cry and more cum jetted out of him. Piccolo used his antenna to give kisses that he couldn’t, gagged as he was. Used his antenna to show Nail the love he felt. The fierce, protective rage that would allow him to keep subduing Kami forever, if need be. Piccolo would do whatever it took to be with his mate, to keep his mate safe, and if the dragon balls didn’t work, Piccolo would find another way.

Nail eased off Piccolo and turned, clearly worried, to look in Piccolo’s eyes. His eyebrows relaxed when he met Piccolo’s gaze and he yanked the gag out and kissed Piccolo furiously before Piccolo could speak. The binds disappeared and Piccolo wrapped Nail in his arms gently, not wanting to scare his mate, and they kissed in silence for a long time.

“Okay, Nail?” Vegeta called from outside their bedroom.

Nail pulled out of the kiss and said, “Yeah, we’re good, Vegeta. Sleep well.”

Vegeta said nothing, only grunted, and Piccolo felt his chi recede. They cleaned up and crawled in bed. Nail curled his body against Piccolo’s and rested on Piccolo’s shoulder. Nail remained silent, but Piccolo could almost hear the unspoken questions.

Piccolo said, “I felt him try and I fought and I won, baby. Was that okay? Do you feel a little better?”

“Do you think…do you think he would have won if I hadn’t gagged and bound you? I like it…but…I’m not _that_ into bondage. I miss…” Nail trailed off and took a shaky breath. He sighed and said, “I’ll probably never hear the end of your mockery, but I miss making love, you know?”

“Yeah, baby, I do. I miss it too. I miss it so much. Let’s get some sleep and maybe we just keep…trying closer to that and see if I can keep him down. We can always go back to full gag and bind. If we have to keep our Saiyan house pet, we might as well make use of him to try to love each other, right?”

Nail pushed up to see Piccolo’s face. He gave Piccolo a soft smile and bent to kiss him. “Yeah. You’re right. If I have to put up with him all the damn time and if he’s going to abscond with our baby, we might as well get to have some great sex.”

“I’ll murder him if he absconds with our baby,” Piccolo said, grinning.

“Can I murder him even if he doesn’t abscond with our baby?” Nail asked. They laughed together and that felt good too.

Piccolo said, “Hey, I just realized that he can use the other wish to make Bulma young enough to pop out another kid for him.”

“It’s not a bad plan, _uliaia._ Now get some sleep. If we’re going to get back to fucking like we used to, you’ll need the rest.”

“I thought we were gonna make love?” Piccolo teased.

Nail’s rumbling laugh warmed Piccolo’s heart as Nail moved to straddle him. “I think you want me to gag you again, _uliaia_.”

Piccolo kissed him deeply and rolled their hardening cocks against one another. “Yeah, I think I do, baby,” Piccolo whispered.

Nail grinned, the dim glow of chi rings glittering on his fangs.


	13. Hopes, Dreams, and Wishes

Piccolo and Nail were able to get back into a rhythm of loving each other, relying on chi binds and ball gags when Piccolo was tired. They made love again. They fucked too. Only a few times did Vegeta intervene, knocking Piccolo out when Kami started to rise. Vegeta and Nail could both feel a shift in Piccolo’s chi when the old bastard managed to claw his wrinkled ass up to the top of Piccolo's consciousness.

Nico grew so fast that Piccolo was grateful every day that Vegeta’s presence allowed him to be home, nursing his son and watching him become a full blown toddler. Nico loved playing with Bulla and they regularly spent whole days together. Vegeta agreed that he would like to use the second wish, but he planned to ask Shenron to give her Saiyan aging, so she would be younger in body and mind for longer.

The day they finally gathered all the balls and were ready to make the wish, Piccolo said, “Bulma knows, right?”

“What? No! Of course not, can you imagine how she would respond if she found out I was trying to take years off her damn odometer? She’d murder me!” Vegeta snarled.

“But…How will this get you another baby if you don’t tell her?”

“Shut up, Piccolo, leave planning to people with brains and brawn, not just the brawn,” Vegeta said and crossed his arms.

Nail snapped, “Don’t talk to him like that, you asshole!”

“I’ve been living with you two for months, I’ll talk to you both however the fuck I please!” Vegeta said, but Piccolo thought he looked sad.

Piccolo said, a grin spreading on his face, “Vegeta…are you sad that if this works, you won’t get to live with us anymore?”

Nail giggled and said, “Oh! Is that what all your attitude has been while we’ve been finding the dragon balls?”

“Shut up!” Vegeta said, obviously flustered. “It’s…it’s not like that! I like living with Bulma! I…it’s…once I have another baby it will be fine!”

“Aw, are you lonely, buddy?” Nail said. “She is kind of a workaholic…”

“Shut up, for the last time, just shut the fuck up! She is not! Don't talk about my wife or I’ll end you! I’m delighted to move out and not deal with your…your…your sass!” Vegeta stammered.

Piccolo knew that Vegeta got upset when he had feelings. Piccolo smirked at Nail and mouthed, _Stop it, don’t deliberately poke at him!_

Nail mouthed, _I’m gonna fuck you so hard tonight!_

Piccolo laughed and felt his cheeks heat. Vegeta grumbled, “What are you being all flustered for? Let’s get this fucking show on the road!”

Nail used chi to bind Piccolo to the ground as they were uncertain what Kami might try in the final throes of his existence. They summoned Shenron and Nail said, “Please remove the dark spirit of Kami from Piccolo!”

Shenron’s eyes glowed red and Piccolo felt fire in his mind, in his body, like every cell was being boiled until it exploded. He howled in pain, which they had anticipated, but it didn’t make it any easier. Piccolo could feel Kami trying to wreck everything on his way out. Piccolo assumed he would do that too, so Piccolo had been working nonstop on his mental training, until he could shield his psyche as Kami thrashed and raged.

The unexpected thing came as Shenron…struggled. No one knew that any wish ever took the dragon more energy. Piccolo heard Kami ranting at Shenron, that he owned Shenron, which Piccolo realized was a major liability, but hopefully now Shenron was strictly loyal to Dende. Piccolo was insensible to all that was happening outside his mind and body, but he hoped Nail was okay.

Shenron and Kami battled, and the casualties were Piccolo’s. He fought to protect himself from whatever magic they wielded at one another. Kami found ever corner of Piccolo’s mind and tried to destroy it. Piccolo’s planning and training were useful, but none of them foresaw how long Kami’s assault might go on. Piccolo was exhausted and still Kami seethed inside him, still Shenron’s magical, invisible claws reached into the dark recesses of Piccolo’s mind and tugged bit after bit of Kami out of Piccolo’s brain.

Piccolo panted and writhed against the chi binds, and not as he was pleasantly accustomed to during sex. Piccolo wasn’t sure his mind would hold out as Kami wrapped his filthy dark form around the most precious thing in Piccolo’s mind: all his memories and attachment to Nico. Piccolo hadn’t thought to barricade such a thing as Kami hardly even acknowledged Piccolo’s son. But Kami’s malevolent form, whether he’d been that way before, or was only tainted by being merged with Piccolo, sought out the things most likely to wound Piccolo. Nico was Piccolo’s biggest vulnerability, especially since Kami had already obliterated so much of his relationship with Nail.

Piccolo’s strength was failing him and as Kami began to incinerate memories of Nail, Piccolo screeched. He thrashed against his restraints, even though he knew his physical body could do nothing against Kami. Piccolo couldn’t bear to lose that connection to his son. He’d lost enough in the week of darkness after his labor.

Piccolo went after Kami with the last of his energy, but then, like a refreshing drink of water in the heat, a hot, powerful hand pressed on each of his temples. Two different hands. Chi and light and power flowed into Piccolo. Love and care and _fight_ poured into him and his mind began to crush Kami to black dust that Shenron hastily blew away in Piccolo’s wake. More and more Piccolo destroyed the remaining bits of Kami.

As he and his saviors began to flag again, when pockets of Kami still remained, a third, shockingly bright and strong chi spiraled into Piccolo, illuminating every black spot of Kami in Piccolo’s mind. Piccolo’s exhaustion still clung to him but it floated on the cloud of that light and power.

Then in a final, horrible, burning scream, Kami was gone. Every bit of him. Piccolo’s eyes fluttered open even though he wanted nothing more than to drift off to sleep. Nail stared into his eyes, “ _Uliaia_?”

“Hey, baby. Fuck. He did not go quietly,” Piccolo said, his voice hoarse. He coughed and saw bloody spume.

“Is he gone?” Vegeta said warily.

“Yeah…thanks to you two. Who…who was the third?”

“Dende came to help when he felt Shenron in distress. Apparently Kami had some tricks to incapacitate the dragon but Dende is…well…let’s just say I would never want to be on his bad side,” Nail said.

“The man is just more proof that being short does not preclude being a complete badass,” Vegeta said with a smirk and gave Piccolo a hand to his feet. 

“You making your wish, Vegeta?” Piccolo said, wanting nothing more than to go home and sleep for a solid day.

They all looked at Shenron, who looked distinctly pissed off. “Do…do we still get a second wish?”

“Yes. If I had known that only Kami's darkest parts remained, I would have destroyed them before they had time to grow. I'm relieved he is no longer part of this world,” Shenron grumbled.

Vegeta said, “Can you make Bulma age like a Saiyan?”

Shenron said, “So you wish her body to return to its prime and remain there until her death?”

“I would like it if she also had the life expectancy of a healthy Saiyan not killed in battle.”

“Does she want this?” Shenron said, and if anyone could sound like they had their hands on their hips, the dragon did.

“Please? I can’t live without her,” Vegeta said. Piccolo’s heart twisted. Vegeta was a huge pain in the ass, but he had always been there for Piccolo in his abrasive way. Piccolo didn’t want Vegeta to lose his mate.

Shenron grumbled, “Very well, I will grant this wish, but I will be very irritated if she’s summoning me next year to undo it. I’m humoring you, Vegeta, due to your service to the Earth and New Namek.”

Vegeta’s cheeks turned bright red. Piccolo laughed that being accused of doing good deeds made Vegeta blush.

Piccolo leaned heavily on Nail and said, “I think I need to go home, baby.”

“Yeah, you do, you look like shit,” Nail said, smirking.

“You coming on to me?” Piccolo teased.

“I might come _on_ you, _uliaia_ ,” Nail said and kissed him.

Piccolo turned to Vegeta and said, “You mind keeping Nico tonight, Vegeta?”

“Do I have to bring him back to you two miserable excuses for fathers?” Vegeta said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Vegeta, I will tell Bulma that you wished her young because you thought her tits were saggy if you try to steal my son,” Nail said with a grim little smile.

“You wouldn’t dare! I’ll incinerate you before you ever got a word out!” Vegeta said, his eyes bugging out.

“I have her cell number, asshole, you’d never know when or where, but someday, that message would come down and you’d never get that sweet blue muff again,” Nail said, his smile growing into his sexiest lopsided version.

“Very well. I will bring your adorable child back around lunchtime tomorrow. And then you will remove her number from your phone!” Vegeta snarled.

Nail tapped his temple and chuckled. “I’ve got it up here. I knew at some point I’d have to deal with you trying to steal my kid.”

Vegeta roared and rocketed off toward Capsule Corp. Nail turned triumphantly toward Piccolo and said, “I hoped you would fuck me until I couldn’t walk once he was out of you, _uliaia_ , and I confess I’m rather skeptical that you have that in you.”

Piccolo smirked and shrugged. He said, “Well, why don’t I see if I have it in _you_.” 

They took off toward their house. Piccolo’s weariness melted away as Nail gave him a cheeky smile mid-air and started shedding his clothes. Piccolo sped up, but Nail outpaced him deliberately until he was naked and flying with his back toward the ground. He smirked down his body at Piccolo and took his cock in his hand and began stroking himself.

“Nail!” Piccolo called and tried again to catch his mate. And although Nail was considerably weaker than Piccolo, he had always been faster, so there was nothing Piccolo could do short of blasting him out of the sky. 

Nail flew on, now fully erect, and moaning toward the sky, but Piccolo could see his naughty little grin when he would peek back at Piccolo. Nail’s hand tightened on his head, twisting a little, and slid down his shaft. He gripped the base of his cock and gave it a couple firm jerks as he let his legs splay open. His other hand trailed down and he caressed his _theadur_ with his fingertips.

It was too much for Piccolo and he put on another burst of speed. Nail grinned as Piccolo overtook him. Piccolo shoved both of Nail’s hands out of the way. “Those are mine, baby. Gods it turns me on to watch you touch yourself,” Piccolo growled.

Nail kissed him aggressively as they descended and touched down on their lawn. Piccolo hiked Nail up on his hips. Nail tore at his clothes and they didn’t even make it to the bedroom. Piccolo set Nail on the high table in their entryway and pleaded, “Nail, I want to fuck your sheath so badly. Are you ready for me?”

“I’ve been ready for years, _atheanna_ ,” Nail purred and put his heels up on the edge of the table so he was open wide for Piccolo.

Piccolo dropped onto his knees and plunged his face into Nail’s crotch. He pushed Nail’s balls up out of his way and drove his tongue against the tight opening. Nail whimpered and pleaded, “Piccolo, oh gods, your tongue is demonic, but I need it. Please…fuck…please, _uliaia_!”

Piccolo growled as he thrust his long, strong tongue inside his mate. Piccolo flicked it up and down fast until Nail’s thighs snapped shut on Piccolo’s head and gripped him. Nail cried out in breathy, unintelligible bursts that might have been Namekian. Piccolo reached to taste Nail’s core, to find the very center of his love, and he groaned as Nail’s sheath twitched a little. Piccolo made a bolt of chi crackle along his tongue.

Nail gasped, “Fucking gods, Piccolo! That…that…oh shit!” Piccolo sent more chi into his tongue until it buzzed. Nail came hard, curling over Piccolo’s head and clutching at him, wrapped entirely around Piccolo’s head as he wailed and bucked toward Piccolo’s mouth. Piccolo kept licking him until Nail huffed out between panting breaths, “Your cock, _uliaia_ , I need your cock. Now!”

Piccolo stood up and hooked his elbows under Nail’s knees. “Line me up, baby,” he murmured as he kissed Nail.

Nail gripped Piccolo’s prick and guided Piccolo inside himself. Nail nipped at Piccolo’s lower lip and gazed into his eyes. “Holy shit, Piccolo…your cock is huge,” he said and they both laughed.

“Did it get bigger without Kami?” Piccolo said and chuckled.

They both looked down and laughed more. Nail said, “Slow, okay? Let me…let me adjust. I think it did, _uliaia_ , I think it’s bigger. I’d have to put it in my ass to be sure, but gods, it’s amazing, but there’s a lot of you.”

Piccolo nudged Nail’s face back up and kissed him deeply. “Sorry my dick’s so big, baby,” he whispered and smirked.

“I don’t think you are. I think you’re pretty pleased with yourself right now,” Nail gasped as Piccolo began rocking into Nail’s sheath. “But I’m not sorry either. Not at all. Your prick feels fucking amazing, Piccolo. I think I like having it inside me better than I ever liked putting it in anyone else.”

“So we don’t have to piss Shenron off by wishing you back inside me?” Piccolo said, grinning as he kissed Nail more, sliding his hands to grip Nail’s ass and thrust into him more aggressively.

Nail sucked across Piccolo’s jawline to his ear and purred, “I don’t need a wish to get inside you, _uliaia._ Fuck me harder, and you won’t even have to wait very long.”

Piccolo chuckled and turned into Nail’s mouth. He kissed his mate until Nail was making more beautiful, breathy noises, and then he said, “You’re going to make that joke until we die, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, definitely, my wit knows no bounds, _uliaia_.”

Piccolo smirked against his mate’s lips more as they kissed. His tongue danced along the edge of Nail’s delicious teeth. Nail’s movements got harder and faster, more frantic. Piccolo slid his hands entirely under Nail’s ass. Piccolo gasped, “Put your legs on my shoulders, baby, I want to fucking pound you.”

“Get me off the table and farther from the drywall. Being magic is no excuse to fuck up our house,” Nail said, but obliged Piccolo. “Put me on the couch. I want you to really be able to hit it. I’m so close and I want to come on you. I want you to come inside me.”

Piccolo laid Nail back on the couch. Piccolo left one leg on the ground, but knelt on the couch with his other and fucked down into his deliciously tight mate. Nail’s velvety core sucked at Piccolo’s cock, slid firmly up and down the length of his shaft, and twitched with the first signs of Nail’s impending climax. 

Words were failing Nail again as he moaned and cried out, but he suddenly gasped, “Oh fuck, _uliaia_ , I’m coming. Oh gods, you’re finally actually fucking me, Piccolo. I’ll give this one to you, you’re finally fucking me properly.”

Piccolo’s laughter was cut short by the deep, rolling, muscular clench of Nail’s _theadur._ Piccolo roared and his cum rocketed out of him into his mate. Piccolo had a flash of wishing Nail wanted to be pregnant because it felt so good to fill him. Piccolo’s fierce possessive love for Nail flared across his skin as bright light to match Nail’s bioluminescent glow. He growled and ducked his head to kiss Nail fervently as they rode out the final spasms of their orgasms.

They laid for a long time, their harsh breathing and the soft sounds of their lips parting and coming together the only sounds in the room. Piccolo rocked against Nail occasionally, making him shiver. Nail whispered, “Wow.”

“Yeah. You sure you don’t want me to put a baby in you once Nico’s a little older?” Piccolo said, kissing down Nail’s neck and onto his luscious pecs.

“I’m very sure. Nobody’s putting any more babies in anybody in this family. Not after all the hell you put me through,” Nail said.

Piccolo pulled back, his eyes stinging. “What? What do you mean?”

“I won’t lose you just because you want to be a brood mare, Piccolo,” Nail said.

“I’m having more kids, Nail. I’ll be fine. We know how to do it this time, and I won’t have Kami fucking things up,” Piccolo said, easing out of Nail so they could sit up.

Nail grabbed his crotch and grimaced at the same time as Piccolo did. Piccolo’s eyes met Nail’s and he said, “Oh fuck. I thought…I thought we were safe.”

Nail’s eyes were huge and wet. “I…we…fuck! What if this is another reason warriors aren’t supposed to mate, Piccolo!? Fuck! I…I…I’m scared to have a baby, _uliaia_ , that’s your forte, not mine!”

“Hey, baby, if you are, we’ll figure it out. You’ll do great. I know you will. Gods, and I _am_ going to fuck you til you can’t walk if you’re pregnant. You know that right?”

Nail laughed and swiped at his eyes. “Yeah…Oh gods, you know Vegeta is going to be so pissed if you already get to have another baby.”

Piccolo chuckled and said, “That’s going to be the best part. But I can’t feel chi yet, so don’t despair, okay, baby?”

“Yeah…hey…you know what?” Nail said, leaning in until Piccolo could wrap his arm around Nail.

“What?” Piccolo said and kissed the top of Nail’s head.

“It felt different without him. It felt…richer. Like my mind was more in sync with yours again. More like how it was when I was still merged and we’d do that thing where we jerked off, but you know, together?”

Piccolo thought about it and said, “Yeah…yeah…it was more like that. But way better than that. Or I hope it was for you, because this was so much better than our attempts to have sex with each other while in the same body.”

Nail laughed too. “Way better. I love you, Piccolo. You’ll…you’ll take care of me if I’m knocked up? I’m going to be a complete wimp about labor and delivery, you know.”

“I doubt it. You’ll probably rocket the baby out of you and brag to me about how much better you are at having babies,” Piccolo teased and kissed Nail more as they slid into a reclining cuddle on the couch.

“What would you have used the second wish for, you know, if Vegeta wasn’t such a baby hound that he had to freshen up Bulma’s reproductive organs?” Nail asked, trailing his claws all over Piccolo’s skin.

“Mmm…It’s funny, I had a plan to use it in case Shenron denied Vegeta, but then…once Kami was gone, I got my wish anyway,” Piccolo said, running one hand up and down Nail’s back, squeezing his ass every time he reached it. He added, “Your ass is perfect, baby.”

Nail snickered. “So you would have wasted a wish to get a slightly larger cock?”

Piccolo laughed and pinched Nail’s butt. Nail yelped and bit his pec in retaliation. They wrestled a little until Nail pinned Piccolo’s hands and kissed him. Piccolo let himself dissolve in the bliss of kissing Nail. Thousands of other kisses flitted through his mind and he sighed happily.

Nail pulled out of the kiss, clearly curious. Piccolo said, “No, I was going to wish my memory back, from the beginning. From the six missing months. But I didn’t need the wish.”

Nail searched his eyes, pushing up a little to be able to really look at Piccolo. He said, “You…you remember?”

“Yeah, I do. So it really means a lot to me that you finally conceded, even if just this one fucking time, that I can in fact fuck you, baby,” Piccolo said, “Because you are fucking stubborn on that front.”

Nail kissed Piccolo furiously and Piccolo twined his arms around Nail’s chest. “That makes me so happy, _uliaia._ When I wished myself free, I didn’t have anything in mind for how it would go. I hoped, of course, that it would be this, but all of this, everything with you, has been wonderful. I’m so glad you’re okay after we got Kami out of you.”

“You still love me? Without whatever it was he added to my personality?” Piccolo said.

“That fucking piece of plain, moldy toast added nothing to you, only took away. Now I get all of you. And that’s my only wish. You and our babies. Maybe some training to keep Vegeta at bay.”

Piccolo chuckled more and bucked his hips and his renewed hard-on up against Nail. “You still have one unfulfilled wish, baby.”

“Oh? Do I?” Nail said, dipping his mouth to Piccolo’s, kissing him and caressing his jaw.

“You wished that I could fuck you until you couldn’t walk, and I think you’re still perfectly capable of walking. And I want to make all your wishes come true,” Piccolo said and shifted Nail’s hips. Nail stared down at him as Piccolo lifted him onto his cock. He helped Nail slide down his length.

Nail groaned and threw his head back, “I love you, _uliaia_ , you’re my wish come true. My dream come true. My everything.”

“You too, baby. I love you so much,” Piccolo purred. They grinned against each other’s lips, and Piccolo worked hard to earn Nail’s assertion that Piccolo fucked him, and not the other way around. Piccolo hoped he could always make his mate's wishes come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one done! Wooo! Thank you to those who came along for Piccolo and Nail's adventure! I appreciate all your comments and you taking the time to read!


End file.
